Confusion
by FaithInSnape
Summary: Danger, Death Eaters, and Dashing romantics! Oh my! In this story about Snape's son, Carl, and his girlfriend, Wenny, there is something for everyone! Very slightly AU.
1. Instinct

**Author's Note:** This story is actually a roleplay that a friend and I did on an RPG site. We have been writing in this RP thread since June of 2006 and the thread now has over 10,000 replies, so there is plenty of story already written. We've gotten a lot of feedback from random people who have read it on the RPG site, and a friend encouraged me to post it here...sooo, I am. lol

I am going to try my best to make sure that it flows, but because of it being written as a roleplay, rather than being written as a story, it might not be perfect. Please keep that in mind and don't judge too harshly.

By the way, Wenny and Carl hold a very, very dear place in my heart. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. :)

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

* * *

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter One: Instinct**

Carl walked down the stairs leading up to the Entrance Hall. It was cold and dark outside. He looked up at the moon which was shining its light onto the bare grounds of Hogwarts, as he slowly began walking down the path through the grounds.

He was a tall Slytherin sixth year with wavy black hair that went past his ears. Before his mother died, she had always complained about it being too long, but of course Carl never did anything about it. His piercing blue eyes shone through the darkness, lit only by the moon.

He didn't care if he got caught by a professor, he needed fresh air to think. And way past midnight was the only time he could get this. His father was well known among the Death Eaters and it was his destiny to follow in his father's footsteps.

Carl knew that he could be a very powerful Death Eater and serve the Dark Lord, but there had always been something inside him telling him otherwise. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice, and he had to go ahead with his father's plan for his life.

He came to a bench and sat down, staring towards the Forbidden Forest. He wasn't in a particularly good mood, so he was thinking of going into the forest and finding something to kill.

After a particularly nasty argument with her father, Wenny had snuck out to the grounds to do some thinking. As much as she loved her dorm mates, she sometimes needed to be on her own, which she found to be near impossible during the daytime hours. Only after curfew was she able to be truly alone, though she knew she could get into big trouble if she was ever discovered.

Wenny was sitting in her usual spot, resting her head on her knees, when she heard footsteps. She glanced up and was surprised to see a guy about her age headed towards her. She watched him, curious to see where he was going, and was a bit unnerved when he happened to sit on the bench less than ten feet away from her.

Tucking a stray strand of her dark hair behind her ear, Wenny wasn't sure whether she should speak to him or simply sit there and wait for him to leave. Figuring that she'd rather not be stuck in one spot all night, she chose to speak. "Rather curious, isn't it? The Forest, I mean...," she said quietly.

Carl looked up quickly, a bit shocked. He hadn't seen her earlier. He must've been too distracted with all the thoughts welling up inside of his head. He looked at her for a moment and then quickly back towards the forest.

He cleared his throat. "Not really," he said finally. "There's really nothing much to it once you get inside. Not to me anyways. As long as you know how to defend yourself," he said, turning to the girl and smirking slightly. He scoffed and looked back to the forest yet again.

"Hm. I suppose you're right," Wenny replied casually. She watched him for a moment, wondering what his deal was. After all, he, too, was breaking school rules by being out of the dorms after curfew.

She could tell by his tone that he probably wasn't up for company, but since they had stumbled upon each other, she figured she may as well try to make the most of it. Especially since she didn't much feel like going back to the dorm yet and a little conversation might get her mind off of things. "So you've been in the forest before, then?," she asked.

Carl couldn't help but laugh slightly. He swung his head over to look at her and sighed. He finally stood up and walked over to where she was and sat down next to her. "Yes, I have been in the forest before," he said, smirking and eyeing her intently. "Any more questions?" he asked with a grin. His features on his face probably didn't give the greatest impression. He had a scar running down next to his right eye and his eyes were icy blue, resting on the girl.

Wenny watched as the guy walked over and sat next to her, and tried not to visibly respond to his intent gaze. She wasn't one to be easily intimidated...or at least not usually, though his question surprised her a bit.

She watched him for a moment and then simply replied, "well, since you asked, yes, I do. What are you doing out here? It's after curfew." She knew he could very well turn her own question around on her, but...well, she'd worry about that later.

Carl laughed again. "I could very well ask you the same thing," he said, keeping his gaze on her. "But I will oblige," he said, bowing his head slightly. "I needed some fresh air and some quiet to think. And perhaps have a little bit of an adventure in the Forest," he said, not once taking his eyes off of her.

"Now," he said, speaking a bit louder. "I answered your question. So let me ask you the same one. What is a girl like you doing out here this late? I've never known a more risky Hufflepuff," he said, indicating the emblem on her cloak. His own Slytherin emblem was a rather proud object of mostly his parents. He didn't find it as great as they did. But it did have its advantages.

Wenny tried to hide a grin at his first comment. She had known that he would probably turn the question on her. And though she liked to believe she wasn't easily intimidated, his gaze was starting to get to her. Not that she'd let him know that, though.

"Well, there's really nothing risky about it if you can 'defend yourself'," she replied, quoting his earlier comment about the forest and trying not to grin at his Hufflepuff comment. She loved being in Hufflepuff, but he was right, they weren't exactly known for their bravery. "And like you, I am out here to do some thinking."

Wenny looked at him curiously, "And what do you mean an adventure in the forest?" Surely he wasn't planning on going into the Forbidden Forest alone in the middle of the night!? Sure, he may think he could defend himself, but...that was just craziness. He could not possibly be serious.

Carl couldn't stop himself from laughing when she quoted him. Before he answered her question, he pulled out his wand, turning his gaze to the forest. He twirled the wand in his hand and then turned to her. "What do you mean what do I mean? I mean going into the Forest of course," he said, smirking at her as she stood up.

"You are going to go into the Forest _now?_," Wenny asked, looking at him rather shocked. "Why would you do that?" Sure, he might think he could defend himself, but...what if he couldn't? There were plenty of creatures in the Forest that students probably haven't even heard of yet. And wandering alone in the forest in the middle of the night was hardly wise. Then again, Slytherins weren't known for their wisdom.

"Why would I do that?" he repeated her. "For fun of course. Besides, I've been in there before. The creatures won't bother you if you don't bother them," he said with a smirk as he turned around and started walking away. "Besides werewolves of course," he said, not turning around to look at her, but kept looking towards the forest, smirking. He wondered if she would follow him and counted to himself.

Wenny watched him walking towards the Forest, still half expecting him to turn around and say he was merely joking. Seeing that he didn't seem to be turning around, she stood up and ran over to him. "Surely, you're not serious!?," she asked, looking at him wide-eyed. She pretended not to hear the werewolves comment, since she figured he threw that one in just to frighten her.

He grinned to himself when he heard her catching up to him. This girl seemed to be a bit predictable, he thought. He stopped and turned to look at her, stopping his wand twirling. "What makes you think I'm not serious?" he asked her, glaring down at her.

Wenny watched him for a moment, "Well...you may think you can defend yourself...but, what if something unexpected happens? All alone in the Forest, in the middle of the night with no one even knowing you're out of your dorm? It's not exactly smart."

He glared down at her for awhile before he finally said something. "Unexpected things happen all the time. It's not like that only happens in the Forest. Besides, nothing like that has ever happened in there to me. If it does, well..." he said, putting his arm around her and starting to walk again towards the forest, forcing her along a bit. "Well, you'll be there with me."

Wenny looked at him as if he were crazy, which she thought he very well might be. "You expect me to go in there with you?," she asked. She glanced around. She must be losing her mind. Not only was she talking to some strange guy outside in the middle of the night, but she was actually about to go into the forest with him. "Fine, but if anything happens while we're in here...it's all your fault," she said, trying to seem more angry than she was. Truth was, she thought it might be interesting. As long as they didn't die, of course.

Carl grinned. "Excellent!" he said cheerfully as he removed his arm from around her. He grinned a bit, knowing that she was thinking he was a bit insane for going into the Forest. But he didn't care. He was used to it by now. His father was one of the only ones who didn't get freaked out or upset that he went in there. Thinking of his father made him frown. He would soon be becoming a Death Eater. He sighed as he looked sideways at the girl. "I don't think I caught your name," he said casually.

Wenny glanced at him as they walked towards the forest, "Wenny. Gytha. ...And you are?" She had noticed his frown and decided that she would ask him about his sudden mood change. After she learned his name, of course.

"Carl," he said, deliberately not giving her his last name. He didn't want to risk her knowing who his parents were. He sighed again as he turned his gaze back to the Forest again as they were nearing the edge.

"Just Carl?," Wenny asked, raising an eyebrow. She had told him her full name, so it was only fair that she know his, right? Besides, why would he leave off his last name? It made her rather suspicious.

Seeing they were nearing the forest, she stopped for a moment and turned to him. "Why the sudden mood change?"

He sighed as he stopped after Wenny, also turning to look at her. "Look, I told you I came out here to think. So my moods may change as I think about different things," he said flustered, glaring down at her.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he muttered as he turned back towards the forest and started walking again.

Watching him walking away, Wenny replied, "If it means you are going to be rude to me, then yes, I do."

She herself had been sitting outside thinking when he showed up and practically forced her to accompany him to the Forest. "Besides, you weren't the only one out here thinking things over...but you don't see me being rude," she added.

Carl rolled his eyes as they reached the edge of the forest. He held up his wand, fixing to light it. Before he did he turned to Wenny, holding his wand at her. "If you wish, you can leave. You wouldn't want to break a nail," he said, cocking his head only slightly to one side.

Wenny glared at him for a moment, trying to decide how best to reply. "Was that really necessary?," she asked. She was tempted to leave, but she liked his spunk. He annoyed her just enough to make her want to continue bickering with him. As crazy as that was.

"Look, I'm sorry...but, honestly...I was just asking to be polite," she said.

Carl sighed. "Fine," he said, turning back towards the trees and muttering, "Lumos." The tip of his wand was illuminated with light. He didn't look back at Wenny before entering the forest, the light shiny from the castle and the moon diminishing quickly.

Wenny stood there for a moment, a bit annoyed that he hadn't said anything more. She watched him walk into the forest. Did he want her to leave him alone? Or did he still want her company?

She glanced back towards the castle and then back at Carl. Sighing, she walked after him. She had already come this far...and it wasn't like she was planning on sleeping tonight anyway.

She caught up with him, but didn't say anything, unsure of whether he even wanted her there.

Carl walked for a while in silence, not sure if he should speak. If he did, she might turn it on him and bug him about saying he came outside to think, not talk. He shrugged to himself as he decided to talk.

"So what's your story?" he asked, the first thing that came to him. "Family, friends, et cetra..." he said, glancing at her.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, trying to decide if she could trust him or not. Then, of course, she had to laugh at the idiocy of that thought. She was in the Forest with him in the middle of the night. She should've considered whether or not she could trust him long before now.

"Well, if you're asking why I was out here tonight...I had a disagreement with my father," she said, "we seem to disagree a lot." She paused for a few moments, wondering if she should say anymore than that, but she figured if he ever decided to use it against her, she could blackmail him with the fact that he was currently in the Forbidden Forest. Of course, so was she, but...still.

"Basically, he thinks I'm too...nice," she added, rolling her eyes.

At that, Carl stopped and turned to Wenny, making himself comfortable and leaning against a tree. "Really?" he asked, eyeing her. "Usually parents would want you to be nice," he said, wishing he had parents like that.

He kept his gaze on her, thinking. He knew how she felt, but wondered just what she meant. His parents were Death Eaters, which meant he was to be one one day.

"You'd think so anyway, wouldn't you? But no, not mine," Wenny replied with a sigh. For the most part, she had gotten used to the constant disagreements between her father and herself. After all, it had been five years since her sorting ceremony.

She looked away for a moment, "I'm the first person in our family not to have been sorted into Slytherin...and let's just say he wasn't very happy about it and haven't let me live it down."

After awhile, Carl finally smirked. "Well, then we'll just have to get you to be a bit more cruel, won't we?" he asked, a glint in his eye. "Nox," he muttered as the light of his wand went dim.

They were at a part in the Forest where the patch of trees ahead were thin, so the light of the moon shone down for enough light.

"Go ahead. Take out your wand," he said, nodding at her. "Lets see what you got," he said, grinning at her, pointing his own wand at her.

Wenny looked at him, a bit panicked. Was he asking her to duel him? Surely he was joking. "What?," she asked, glancing around nervously. She was trying to casually locate the quickest way out of the forest, because she surely didn't like the way this situation seemed to be heading.

Carl sighed as he lowered his wand. "You're not afraid are you?" he said, grinning, slowly cocking his head slightly to one side. "Come on. Don't you ever live on the edge? I think a duel in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night might count."

If she hadn't been rather terrified at the moment, Wenny would've laughed at his comment...even though he seemed to be serious. Obviously, he hadn't noticed that she wasn't really a dueling type of girl.

"You're serious?," she asked, glancing around once more before reaching for her wand.

"Sure. How else are you going to toughen up for your father?" he asked her. To him, all he wanted to do was please his parents. Which was why he felt he had no choice but to become a Death Eater.

"Well, what if I don't want to toughen up for him? I rather like the way I am, thank you very much," Wenny replied, still watching him closely.

Carl stopped watching her for a moment, looking down at the ground and thinking to himself. "Don't you want him to accept you?" he asked, looking back up at her. "Don't you ever hate him yelling at you because you express your opinions or..." he trailed off, realizing he was being too personal.

"Well, yes, of course...but, I'd prefer him to accept me as I am...because I'm his daughter and because he loves me. Not just because I've changed who I am to please him," she replied.

Wenny watched him curiously for a moment, "why do I have the feeling this isn't just about me and my father?"

Carl shook his head. "Forget it," he muttered as he raised his wand again. He couldn't let this girl change what he had to do, what he knew he had to do.

Wenny had said the word love. He wasn't sure if his parents loved them at all, or even would if he became what they wanted of him.

Wenny looked at him, starting to get a bit panicked again. She was seriously beginning to think he wasn't quite sane. Of course, his fascination with roaming the Forest in the middle of the night should've been her first clue. But the fact he kept raising his wand at her was definitely the clincher.

"What are you doing?," she asked slowly, not taking her eyes off of him.

"What I told you before. Dueling," he said, watching her watch him. "And dueling only works when there's more than one person firing the spells," he said, smirking slightly. "So come on. Shoot a spell at me. Any spell you know."

"I'm really not comfortable with this...I mean, no offense, but you could totally put me in a body bind and leave me out here all night...totally defenseless," Wenny said, glancing around. He was the one who mentioned defending one's self from the creatures of the Forest...and the werewolves, which she really hadn't thought about...until now.

Carl took a step closer to her. "Wenny, I swear to you I won't do that. I have no reason for doing anything of the sort," he said, his icy blue eyes staring at her. He sighed and finally put his wand away. "Very well," he said with a sigh. He could lead a horse to water, but he couldn't make her drink.

Wenny watched him as he spoke, occasionally glancing away from his stare. What he was suggesting, dueling, would take a rather lot of trust on her part, considering he was probably much more advanced than she was. Being Slytherin and male and all.

She watched him for a moment, not sure if she should speak or move. "You sound disappointed," she observed.

He looked up at her as his gaze had lowered to the ground. "I just think you should learn to stick up for yourself is all."

He cocked his head to one side in curiousity. "Have you ever dueled?" he asked her, his gaze fixed more on her than ever. He hoped she would say yes at least.

Wenny watched him for a moment, "I can stick up for myself, I just prefer not to duel a Slytherin guy in the middle of the night...in the Forbidden Forest."

She heard his question and for a moment, considered lying to him and saying that she had, in fact, dueled loads of times. But surely, if he forced her to prove herself, he'd realize she was horribly inadequate at the sport. She looked at him for a moment and quietly said, "Well, not really."

He couldn't help at laugh. "Well, I guess I can't say that I blame you. I wouldn't want to scare you," he said, starting to slowly walk towards her. "I can be very intimidating," he said, smirking as he got closer to her.

Wondering what he was doing, Wenny watched him walking towards her and looked away, occasionally glancing back to him. She wasn't sure whether she should respond, as she didn't want to offend him nor make him think more highly of himself. She decided to merely turn to him and hold his gaze, since he was sure to consider her looking away a sign of weakness.

Carl smiled as he reached out to grab her shoulders. "Loosen up," he said, squeezing them slightly. Then he held them and said, "Really, could you be more tense?"

Trying not to grin, Wenny replied, "Well, sorry...but perhaps you would be tense, as well, if someone kept pointing their wand at you in a rather threatening way."

His expression softened, or at least somewhat. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly. Right when he leaned in closer, he heard rustling leaves coming from a thick patch of trees.

He forced Wenny to stand behind him, bringing out his wand and pointing it towards the direction of where the noise was coming from. "When I tell you to run, I want you to run as fast as you can back to the castle," he said, barely moving his mouth.

"Wha-," Wenny began as he stood infront of her. She tried looking over his shoulder to see what he was looking for, hoping it was simply the wind or some harmless little creature. She would've told him he was scaring her, if she hadn't noticed how tense he suddenly seemed to be.

He began to see a vague outline of a very big creature. It howled and Carl began to back away. "Run!" he yelled to Wenny as he began shooting spells at it, hopelessly, but trying to slow it down.

Wenny turned to see what Carl was looking at and gasped. For a moment, she was unable to move...partly out of fear and partly out of the uncertainty of not wanting to leave Carl to battle the creature alone. "I can't leave you here," she said rather strongly, while reaching for her wand. She shot a few spells at the creature, hoping it helped...but being almost afraid to look and see.

Carl glanced sideways at her, only for a moment as to not let his guard down. "Are you insane!? Get out of here!" he yelled at her.

If this girl had never dueled, he didn't know what she was thinking trying to help him defend them from a werewolf. He shot a few spells, that only slowed it down.

Wenny watched him for a moment, trying to decide whether to leave him or not. She wasn't exactly helping him, but...did he really expect her to just leave him?

Maybe she could go get a professor...though that would mean they would probably get detention for life for not only being out after curfew, but for being in the Forest as well. Assuming they even survived, that is.

"What about you? I can't just leave you here to be killed!," she replied, keeping her wand out infront of her.

"I'll be fine!" he yelled angrily as he watched the werewolf leap. It slashed his leg, leaving a huge bleeding gash. He winced as he fell to the ground, the werewolf above him.

He kicked it a few times, hard, in the face with his good leg. After awhile, it looked like it was beginning to get dizzy. They heard another howl much deeper in the Forest, and the werewolf ran off, stumbling.

Carl sat up, a bit dizzy himself, looking down at his leg. "See, I told you I'd be fine," he said.

Wenny rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me. You call that 'fine'...?," she replied, looking down at his leg. Boys could be so prideful at times.

She walked over to him and sat down beside him. "Do you know any healing spells? Because we can't exactly go to the Hospital Wing at the moment. Madam Pomfrey will finish what that...werewolf...started."

He laughed as he held his wand to his leg and muttered a spell. He winced as he felt it close up, but only slightly. "So, my healing spells aren't great, but it'll work for now."

He tore off a piece of his cloak and wrapped it around the cut in his leg. Then he slowly stood up on his good leg with the help of a tree.

Wenny watched him and stood up. "Would you like me to help you? We could go back to the bench...," she said, glancing in the direction of where they had met. She would feel much better once they were out of the Forest, as there was no guaranteeing that the werewolf...and his friend...wouldn't return.

"I'm fine," he told her as he watched her. He could tell she didn't want to stay here. After awhile, he slowly nodded. "Alright," he said as he stood up from the tree and began slowly limping towards the direction they had come from.

"Ok then," she muttered under her breath as she began following him out of the Forest. After a few minutes, she glanced over at him. "You did a great job, by the way...fighting off that werewolf."

He grinned as he looked sideways at her. "I told you I could defend myself," he said, shrugging as he limped along, trying his best not to trip over a limb or other object with his one good working leg.

"Yeah, and you totally escaped unscathed, huh?," she replied, glancing over at him. Truth was, though, that he had infact survived and she had to give him credit for that. "I still think you're rather insane, though...just so you know," she said with a slight smirk.

He laughed. "Oh I know. But I think the same of you, just so _you_ know." He stopped and turned to face her. "Why did you stay when I told you to go back to the castle?" he asked her, staring at her intently.

Wenny had to fight a grin at his comment. She was currently blocking out the thought of what could have happened to them earlier, because if she allowed herself to think of it, she very well may have gone insane. Or fainted.

"Why did I what?," she asked, stopping and turning to face him as well when she heard his question.

"Why didn't you leave when I told you to run to the castle?" he asked.

"Well, I couldn't very well leave you there alone, could I? You could've been killed," she answered.

"And what makes you care?" he asked as he limped closer to her, looking down into her eyes. "You shouldn't care. That makes you too...nice," he said with a grin.

Wenny grinned and rolled her eyes, "So I've heard." She watched him for a moment, trying to decide how to answer his question. Why _did_ she care? "Well, unfortunately, it seems I have this rather annoying thing called a heart."

He grinned. "Oh, well, that's too bad," he said sarcastically, cocking his head again as he ran his hand through his now very messy hair. "You know, I've heard those things are rather annoying. I guess it's a good thing I don't have one," he said, still grinning.

"Don't say that," Wenny replied, suddenly feeling a bit bad for him. "If you didn't have a heart, you wouldn't have defended me from Mr. Werewolf in there," she said, glancing towards the Forest. Sure, he was defending himself as well, but he had jumped infront of her.

"Instinct," he replied quickly, lifting his head, suddenly showing no emotion on his face. "I guess it's just in me to protect... other human beings," he said, catching himself from saying 'people he cared about.'

Wenny nodded in understanding, "Well, thank Merlin for your _instinct_ then." She smirked at him.


	2. Choices

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Two: Choices**

Still watching Carl, Wenny reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, you never did tell me why you were out here."

"I did to. Or did that werewolf frighten it out of you?" he asked with a grin as he turned around and started walking again. "I told you I came out here to think. Mission failed," he said with a laugh.

Wenny rolled her eyes and started after him. "Well, I was kind of hoping you would be a bit more specific. After all, I did tell you about my...situation," she replied. "And I'm sorry if I disturbed your...thinking time," she added with a grin, only half teasing.

Carl was silent for a moment. "My situation is not much different than yours," was all he said, not looking at her. Of course, except him and his parents didn't fight. He usually did what he was told because truth be told, he was afraid of what they might do to him.

Wenny watched him closely for a moment, "how so?" After all, he was in Slytherin. So why would his parents not be happy? Unless, of course, his parents were Hufflepuffs. Or Gryffindors. Though, it wasn't really in the nature of the other houses to be quite as particular about their child's house. Slytherins by far had the most house prejudice.

He sighed. "Parent problems. They want me to be something that..." he paused. He was fixing to say something that he did not want to be. But he was supposed to want to be it. He sighed again. "Something that I haven't yet decided if I'm ready for."

"Oh," Wenny said quietly. After a few moments, she added "Well, what do they want you to be?" It was a fair question, or she thought so anyway.

"Just drop it," he said, flustered. At times, he could please his parents very much by acting like a Death Eater more than anything, but he did not want to act like one now, especially with Wenny. And he felt that if he talked about it, he just might.

Wenny looked at him, rather surprised by his comment, and unsure of whether to drop the subject or try again. "You know, sometimes it helps just to talk about things...with people...," she said quietly. "I could maybe help you decide if you're ready for...whatever it is...?" She wasn't trying to be nosy, just trying to help. She hoped he understood that.

"I said drop it!" he said, turning to her in anger. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly as he started walking again. He felt himself getting angry, which was what his parents told him was his fuel, but he tried to hold it back.

The look in Carl's eyes when he practically yelled at her frightened Wenny a bit. There was definitely more to the story than he was letting on, but since she wasn't quite ready to die yet, she figured she should drop the subject.

She watched him walking off for a moment, unsure of whether or not she should follow. Perhaps he just needed to be alone. After all, she really had been the one to speak to him when he had sat down on the bench, rather than him speaking to her.

Wenny decided to continue walking back with him, but she didn't want to annoy him, so she didn't speak.

Carl glanced at her every now and then. "You want to go to the lake?" he asked before he could stop himself.

He really didn't feel like going back to the castle, and he thought it might feel good to put his leg in water. The stinging sensation never bothered him.

"I think it might help you to loosen up!" he said with a grin. He probably shouldn't be talking himself. He needed to loosen up, too.

Wenny looked over at him, "Why?," Wenny asked. "Oh, wait. Let me guess. You're going to attempt to drown me, since your plan to hex me to oblivion was interrupted by a werewolf?" She smirked at him.

"Sure," she replied...then she heard his last comment and rolled her eyes, "very funny." She looked over at him with a slight grin, because it was rather true. She definitely needed to loosen up a bit.

"Oh yes, that darn werewolf ruined my master plan to finish you off right there in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. And now if one of those blasted merpeople ruin it this time, I'll just have to throw a fit!" he said in mock anger. He looked over at Wenny and grinned.

Wenny laughed, "I knew it!" She smiled at him for a moment, then turned away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. After a few moments, she looked at him. "Oh, um, how is your leg feeling...?"

Carl felt himself blush as he watched her for awhile before answering. "It's fine. For now anyways. I'll be alright," he told her.

Wenny nodded. "That's good. Then, I guess, in the morning you can go see Madam Pomfrey. Though, I don't really know how you're going to explain the injury...," she said with a slight grin.

"I tripped and landed on my potions knife," he said with a shrug. "I think she'd believe it," he said as they neared the lake.

Wenny winced at the thought. "That sounds rather painful. Though, it's not as if the real thing was any less so, I'd imagine," she said, looking over at him.

They arrived at the lake and Wenny sat down near the water's edge.

Carl smiled down at her and then slowly sat down next to her, putting his leg in the water. He winced as the icy cold water his his wound, cleaning it and the cloth around it.

He turned his head and looked at Wenny and then cleared this throat. "Are...are you cold?" he asked, as he himself was starting to get a little chilly.

Wenny watched him as he put his leg in the water, and winced. She hoped it didn't hurt too badly.

She looked over at him, "A little, but I'll be ok...I'm not the one with a wounded leg in the freezing lake water." She gave him a small smile.

He smiled at her and slowly put his arm around her. "I don't bite," he said with a grin, pulling her close to help keep her warm. He swished his leg around a little bit in the water, wincing as he did so.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, not quite sure how to take his gesture. "Well, that's good to know," she said with a grin.

She saw him wince and felt rather bad about it. "I'm really sorry you got hurt," she said quietly. Though, she knew it was kind of his own fault. He was the one who had been so determined to go into the Forest in the first place. Though, she wouldn't have said that to him. Not while he was in pain, anyway.

"It's fine. It's nothing I can't endure," he said as he winced again. He had felt much worse before, and he wasn't about to start complaining now. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" he asked her.

Wenny shook her head, "No, I'm fine." She saw him wince again and wished she knew some kind of pain relieving spell. Unfortunately, she didn't.

"So tell me, Carl with-no-last-name," she smirked, "do you regularly go in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night or was this just a...streak of sudden madness?"

He laughed. "Oh no, there was nothing sudden about it. Streak of madness perhaps," he said, grinning. "But yes, I do go in there regularly," he said, nodding. "It was fun, wasn't it?" he asked, smirking.

Wenny rolled her eyes playfully, "well, if you consider almost being eaten alive by a terrifying werewolf 'fun'...then, yes, I suppose it was." She grinned.

Turning to look at him, she asked "why do you go in the Forbidden Forest regularly?"

Carl shrugged. "I guess just to clear my head," he said, looking out towards the lake. He sat there in silence for awhile before turning to her again. "Any more questions?" he asked her for the second time that night.

Wenny did, in fact, have another question, but due to him practically biting her head off earlier, she wasn't quite sure she was ready to ask it again. "Well, actually, yes...but we'll worry about that later."

He laughed. "Oh, come on. I was only joking. What is it?" he asked her curiously.

Wenny looked at him for a moment. "Do you promise not to yell at me if I ask?," she asked. In all honesty, he had frightened her earlier. The look in his eyes was not one of simple annoyance.

He looked at her for a moment. He sighed as he removed his arm from around her. He had an idea of what her question was. He nodded. "I promise," he said quietly, looking back towards the lake.

Wenny noticed how uncomfortable he looked and figured he knew what she was going to ask. She also figured it must be something major. Why else would he be so uncomfortable about it? "What is it that you're not sure you're ready for?"

Carl closed his eyes for a long moment before turning his head and looked at her. He took a deep breath. "To be a Death Eater," he said quietly, watching her.

Wenny let out a slight gasp, but tried not to react too much, as she didn't want to upset him. Especially not now. "Your parents want you to join Voldemort?," she asked him, watching him closely. "Why?"

Her father might not have been too happy about her being sorted into Hufflepuff, but he hadn't ever asked her to join Voldemort. Of course, she was a Hufflepuff. Though, if she had've been in Slytherin, who knows what he may have done.

Carl sighed, closed his eyes, and turned his head back towards the lake. "Lets just say it runs in the family," he said, doing his best not to lose his temper again. His anger frightened him sometimes, and it was all he could do to hold it back.

Wenny watched him and frowned. "You don't want to join, though...right?" She didn't want to try to tell him to go against his parents unless she was sure he didn't want to join. Earlier, he had only said he hadn't decided if he was _ready_...not that he didn't want to join. And that scared her a bit.

"I don't have a choice," he said without looking at her. He ran his hand through his hair, stressfully.

"Look at me," Wenny said. "I don't care whether or not you think you have a choice. Do you _want_ to join?" She was pretty sure by the way he was acting that he didn't...but she wanted to hear him say it.

Carl looked at her. "You don't get it. Whether I want to or not doesn't matter. _I. Don't. Have. A. Choice._" And with that, he stood up with a bit of difficulty and started making his way back towards the castle. Maybe he would make it up to her later.

Not one to be brushed off quite so easily, Wenny stood up and went after him. "Carl, it _does_ matter. Even if only to you or to me." She watched him, "so I'll ask you again, do you _want_ to join?"

Carl turned around quickly to look at Wenny. "Yes, Wenny! I want to join!" he yelled at her. He didn't mean it, but at the moment, he only wanted to get some rest and get off his leg.

"Now I think you yourself should get back up to the castle and get some rest!" he yelled, turning back around towards the castle. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me," he added, almost inaudibly.

Wenny had to admit she was rather shocked. She really hadn't expected him to say he wanted to join. She stood there for a few moments, just watching him walk away and trying to accept that he wanted to join Voldemort. She couldn't. She went after him again. She caught up with him and said quietly. "Fine, I'll leave you alone. But just so you know...I don't believe you."

Carl stopped and glared at her. He leaned in closer to her until their faces were just inches apart. "Fine then, don't believe me," he said sternly. "Good night." He walked up to the castle and then crashed on his bed in his dorm.

Wenny stood there, watching him walk to the castle. She was rather irritated that he wouldn't be honest about not wanting to join Voldemort. Why was it so hard for him to say 'no, I don't want to join Voldemort'...? Guys were so stubborn sometimes.

The next morning, Carl woke up to a rather annoying owl pecking at his hand, ready to hand him a letter.

Wenny didn't want to wake up the following morning. After all, she had been out practically all night. She sat up on the edge of her bed, yawning, with her eyes still closed. Thank Merlin it was a Saturday...no classes.

After a quick shower to wake herself up, Wenny headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Carl sat up in the bed, taking the letter from the owl and giving it a treat, sending it on its way. He opened the letter which was from his father. He sat there, reading it over and over.

He finally crumpled it in hand and then stuck it in his pocket. He put his head in his hands.

Wenny walked into the Great Hall, still yawning, and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. There were a few other late breakfasting students, but Wenny sat alone. She put a few breakfast items on her plate and then began eating, her mind on the events of last night.

Carl looked around, making sure no one else was in the room. He stood up, forgetting about his leg, and then cursed before limping over to the table to begin writing a letter to Wenny.

_Wenny-_

_I very much apologize for my behavior last night. I could blame it on the loss of blood, but I shouldn't try to make excuses. I hope you will let me make it up to you. Please meet me at the greenhouses tonight at midnight._

_Yours,  
Carl_

He sealed it and went up to the owlery. After sending it, he went back to his dorm without getting anything to eat. He felt that if he saw her anytime before, he would lose his mind. He just hoped Wenny wouldn't be as freaked out at first as she seemed last night, making her not come tonight.

The loud fluttering of wings made it known that an owl was approaching and Wenny was rather surprised when it stopped at her. "What is this?" she asked as she untied the envelope from the owl's leg. She gave it a bit of toast for it's service, and said a polite little "thank you," before the owl flew back out of the Great Hall.

Pushing her plate aside, Wenny opened the envelope and read the letter. She couldn't help but smile a bit, as she was glad he didn't seem to still be upset.

Wenny stood up, grabbed a couple of pieces of toast, and headed up to her dorm. She needed to catch up on her sleep if she was supposed to be able to stay up all night again.

Carl spent the rest of his time in his dorm, studying and thinking. The time seemed to fly by.

At midnight, he made his way out of the castle and down towards the greenhouses, his hands in his pockets. Once there, he leaned against the side of the greenhouse wall, waiting for Wenny.

He pulled out the letter again, and began reading it over and over yet again. He wouldn't do it. He couldn't.

After breakfast, Wenny had gone back to her dorm and slept for a few more hours. After waking up for the second time, Wenny went about her normal daily activities...talking to her dormmates, finishing up studying, drawing by the lake, and just lazying about, since it was Saturday.

At curfew, Wenny went to bed as usual, though fully dressed, and after she felt it was safe, she snuck out the way she had been doing for several years now.

She walked across the grounds, glancing around to be sure there were no professors out for a midnight walk. When she finally reached the greenhouses, she saw Carl and walked over. "Hey."

Carl's heart skipped a beat when he heard her. He turned to look at her. "Hey," he said quietly. "Thanks for coming," he said, still quiet.

He looked down at the ground, slowly pulling out his wand. He looked back up at Wenny after awhile. "I'm not going to do it," he whispered to himself.

Wenny gave him a small smile, "you're welcome...but can I ask why the greenhouses?" She laughed lightly.

She watched him for a moment. "Not going to do what?," she asked curiously, having heard his quiet comment.

Carl looked down at his wand and then back up to Wenny. He walked slowly towards Wenny. He took out the letter he had received early that day and handed it to her with shaky hands.

_Carl-_

_The Dark Lord has agreed to grant you as a Death Eater, but you must perform one assignment first. You must kill Wenny Gytha. You do this and you will receive your Dark Mark soon. You do not, then you are no longer my son._

_-Your Father_

Wenny wasn't liking how serious he seemed, it was making her rather nervous. She saw him hold out a piece of wrinkled parchment and she looked at him for a moment before taking it from him. She read the letter and then looked up at him wide-eyed, not quite sure what to say.

"Why...why would they ask you to do this, Carl?," she asked slowly. Why her out of all of the people in the wizarding world?

He kept his gaze on her. "It's not exactly they. It's more like my father. He wants me to prove myself. Lets just say he has eyes around Hogwarts. He knows that..." he paused. He took a deep breath. "He knows that I care about you." He looked down at his wand and closed his eyes.

If her life wasn't currently being threatened, Wenny would've smiled or something. Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, she merely watched him.

Taking a deep breath, Wenny tried to think of what to say to Carl. "Well, I guess you have to decide between us then." As far as she could tell, that seemed like the only answer to the situation. He had to choose between the father forcing him to prove himself to a cause he didn't support, even if he said he did, ...and her.

Wenny knew she couldn't make the decision for him, but she hoped he made the right one. Not only for her, but for himself as well.

Carl took the letter back and pointed his wand at it. He muttered a curse and the paper lit on fire. He dropped it on the ground and pocketed his wand.

He grinned the best he could with everything that was going on. He took a step closer to her, putting his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"I choose you," he said softly. He looked down into her eyes and slowly leaned in and gently kissed her.

Wenny watched Carl, unsure of what he was doing. For all she knew, he could simply be destroying the evidence. When she saw him step closer to her, she tried to prepare herself for the worst. But how does someone prepare for death?

Though, when he put his arms around her, she looked up at him with a slight smile. "Thank you," she said quietly, before returning the kiss. She knew it wasn't over, though. After all, his father wouldn't be happy with his decision.

Carl smiled at her as he broke the kiss. "I'm sorry I got you into all of this," he told her. "But you know we can't stay here, right?"

Wenny grinned at him and shook her head slowly, "technically, I got myself into it, remember?" She laughed lightly, remembering that she had made the choice to talk to him first.

Then she looked at him seriously, "we have to leave school?" How would they explain that? Where would they go? What about her father?

He nodded. "Yes. There are other death eaters already at the school. They'll know what happened, and they'll kill us both." He pushed her hair behind her ears like she always did herself and cocked his head a little. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." This was it. He turned soft. There was no going back.

To say Wenny was nervous would be a huge understatement. She was absolutely terrified. The thought of running away from school, having no idea where they were going or how they would survive on their own, and being on the run from Death Eaters? It was all way more than she ever dreamed she'd face in her lifetime, let alone at such a young age. But knowing that Carl wouldn't be forced to live a life he didn't want, somehow made it ok. Wenny nodded, "I trust you."

Carl smiled at her and kissed her again. "We uh...kind of have to go through the Forest," he said, shrugging and smirking. "But it's not a full moon, so at least there won't be any werewolves," he told her.

Wenny laughed, "Well, thank merlin for small miracles?"

She glanced towards the castle for a moment and then turned back to him, "are we leaving now? Like...at this moment?"

Carl followed her gaze to the castle. "Unless there's anything you need from your room," he said. He himself didn't have much to begin with.

"Well, nothing of any major importance, I guess," she replied. After all, if they were running for their lives, she doubted they would need any of the stuff she was leaving behind.

Carl nodded and took her by the hand, pulling out his wand. "Lumos," he muttered as they neared the Forest. He turned to Wenny and gave her another kiss.

Wenny placed her hand gently on his cheek as she continued the kiss for a moment before looking up at him. She was feeling so many conflicting emotions at the moment. She knew there would be no going back to the life she was about to leave behind. Her parents, though they weren't always the most loving, her friends, her school, and practically everything and everyone she cared about. Except one: Carl.

"I guess you do have a heart after all," she said with a smirk.

Carl laughed. "Unfortunately," he said, smiling and kissing her again. He looked down into her eyes for a moment before turning and entering the forest.


	3. The Test

**Disclaimer**All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Three: The Test**

As Carl walked towards the forest, Wenny stayed behind for a second and closed her eyes, trying to make sure she truly understood what she was doing and that she wasn't just going into this blindly.

After a moment, she quickly caught up with Carl. She wanted to ask him where they were going, but if his father 'had eyes around Hogwarts' as he had told her earlier, she figured it best not to discuss the details until they were further away.

"So...what happens now?," she asked him quietly.

"We fade away," he said as he walked slowly, guided by the light of his wand. "The Death Eaters will be after us. You, too, because you know my parents are Death Eaters and they take that as information that needs to be exterminated. Why they're after me is obvious. I know things my parents have told me, and I shouldn't."

He sighed as he looked at her and put his arm around her waist. He knew what she was thinking. He was thinking the same thing. "Look, I'm not going to let this stop you from seeing your friends or your father. They can't search for us forever," he said, hoping to cheer her up a bit.

Wenny listened, not exactly liking what he was saying. Especially hearing him using terms like 'exterminated.'

She nodded slowly at his last comment, "ok." Though, she wondered how in the world two school aged kids were going to possibly avoid getting caught by an army of vicious murderers. She knew the chances of them coming out of this alive was fairly small.

Carl didn't say anything more, but just kept walking. He knew what his father would say about this choice he had made.

_"You never did learn to respect your parents. We ask you to do one thing, and you would've gotten blessed beyond on your wildest dreams. You are no son of mine!"_

He knew his father wouldn't stop the Death Eaters for him. He had to protect himself, and now, more importantly, Wenny. If he hadn't gotten close to her, she wouldn't be in this situation right now.

Wenny was watching Carl as they walked through the Forest. He looked rather worried, which was completely understandable, given their current situation, but she didn't like to see him in such a way.

She wondered if he blamed her at all. She hoped he didn't, but she couldn't help wondering how things would be different for him if she hadn't spoken to him that night. What if she had simply minded her own business and went back up to the castle?

"I'm sorry," she said, without stopping or looking at him.

At that, Carl stopped walking and turned to look at her. "For what?" he asked, turning her gently towards him, holding her at arms length. What did this girl have to be sorry about?

"Well," she began, "maybe if I hadn't spoken to you, you wouldn't have had to...to do this." Sure, if she hadn't spoken to him, he probably would've been forced to take the Dark Mark, but at least his life wouldn't be in danger. Well, not in the way it is at the moment.

Carl looked down at her and smiled. "Wenny, if it wasn't you, it wouldn't been someone else. A friend, or just some random person. And without you, who knows. I might've done it. I would be a Death Eater right now. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He smiled at her and kissed her again.

Wenny watched him for a moment, "Would you really have killed someone?" She wouldn't have really blamed him. After all, parental pressure could be quite difficult to fight, as she knew all too well.

Carl thought about it for a moment. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. Maybe this girl had completely changed him. He closed his eyes, shivering at the thought of killing someone.

Wenny gave him a small, sad smile of understanding, and began walking again. She wasn't sure what to say. Killing someone was a major deal, definitely not something to be taken lightly. Perhaps he would've killed a random person, who was to know except he himself?

Glancing around, she looked at him "how much further until we're out of the Forest, do you suppose?" She didn't particularly like being in the Forest, though, regrettably, being in the Forest really the least of their worries now.

Carl continued walking with her. "We're stopping at a friend's cabin. He's probably not there, it's only his vacation cabin. But we'll need to use the fireplace." It was an unmarked fireplace on the floo powder network, so they could get places safely. "It'll probably take a half hour or so," he said quietly.

"Oh, ok," Wenny replied. She wondered if they would be staying there any length of time and where they would be going to after the cabin. Actually, she had a lot of questions about the things to come and she was sure that some had answers she didn't want to hear.

She wasn't quite sure what else to say at the moment, so she continued walking. Occasionally, she would yawn a bit. After all, it was in the middle of the night. "Are we going to be able to sleep anytime soon?," she asked with a shy smile. She knew sleep really wasn't on the list of priorities at the moment, but they _would_ need to sleep _sometime._

He turned to her and smiled. "Yes, as soon as we get out of the Forest. I promise," he said as he put his arm around her waist again. "I can always carry you," he added with a smirk.

Wenny blushed a bit, "No, that's ok...I'm fine, just a bit sleepy. That's all. Thank you, though." She thought he was sweet to offer.

"I should tell you something," she said quietly. "My father isn't going to be too happy about this," she added, watching him. Of course, whose parents would be happy about their daughter running away from school with a Death Eater's son? But there was more to her story. "I think my father might be...on the same side with yours."

Carl stopped again. He couldn't say he was completely surprised, but he was a bit. She had said earlier that they had wanted her to be less nice, and naturally, Death Eaters had come to his mind.

He looked at her and ran his hand through his hair. "You think?" he asked, cocking his head again.

Wenny nodded slowly. "I mean, I'm not completely sure...he doesn't really tell me much about that sort of thing. But I've...heard things." She had also seen things, but she tried not to think about that.

Carl watched her for a moment, not exactly sure what to say for awhile. He was curious enough to ask _'Like what?'_ But he stopped himself before he did.

Wenny wasn't sure what to think of his silence, so she just said a quiet, "I just thought you should know." She turned and started walking again, looking for any sign of the cabin.

He watched her walk away for a few seconds before catching up to her. "Thank you," he said quietly. "For everything," he told her, glancing sideways at her.

Wenny looked over at him, curious, "everything?" She hadn't done anything anyone else wouldn't have done...except maybe talk to a total stranger in the middle of the night and proceed to accompany him into the Forbidden Forest.

"You've done more than you think," he told her. "Who knows what would've happened. I really didn't want to be a Death Eater," he said quietly. "I didn't want to kill anyone. So, yeah. You helped me more than you know."

Wenny stopped and looked at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "Well then, I suppose that makes us even," she said with a slight smile.

He kissed her back, smiling. Then he looked at her for a moment. "How so?" he asked her.

She grinned at him, "you saved my life and I saved yours." Sure, it might've been a bit cheesy, but she thought it was cute. And true. With two simple words, he could've ended her life and just to make his father happy. Instead, he chose to save her.

"I could've never let anything happen to you," he said and then smiled. He kissed her again and started walking with her. "Come on, we're almost there," he told her.

Wenny gave him a smile and started walking, looking for any signs that they were getting close to the cabin. Without saying anything, she reached down and took his hand in hers, then glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye.

Carl looked over at her once he felt her hand. He smiled and held it in his. He then saw a very dim light coming from up ahead: the cabin.

Wenny noticed the light from ahead and hoped it was what she thought it was. She continued walking with him until they finally reached the cabin. Somehow seeing the cabin made everything seem more real. They had really just left Hogwarts and were really on the run. She looked over at him, then back at the cabin. "Well, I assume this is your friend's cabin?"

He took a deep breath, happy to finally be there. He nodded. "Sure is," he said happily. He looked around as they reached the porch. "I think it may be safe to stay here for a few hours so you can get some rest," he told her.

Wenny nodded as they walked into the cabin. She walked around for a few minutes, just looking around. It was a rather interesting cabin, one that might've been rather nice to stay in, had the circumstances been different. As it were, it just seemed strange to be there.

Opening one door slowly, she was relieved to see a rather decent looking bed. "Well, if it's ok...I'm going to go in here and sleep for a while." _Or attempt to,_ she thought. "Don't hesitate to wake me if...we need to leave. Or something." She didn't want to think of what the 'or something' might be.

Carl nodded and smiled at her, hoping he wouldn't have to wake her for an emergency. He walked over to the fireplace and got the floo powder ready just incase. Then he walked over to the couch and sat down, sighed with relief as he did so.

He took a book off of the table and blew on it to remove some of the dust that had gathered on it. He opened it and began reading. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was reading, but that didn't bother him.

Wenny went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her, and looked around for a few minutes, then walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. She _was_ rather sleepy, but she knew she'd probably not get much sleep. How could she? There were a billion thoughts running through her mind at the moment.

She lied back on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, though not really seeing it. She wasn't sure how long she stayed awake, but she did eventually fall asleep.

Carl was careful not to go to sleep over the next couple of hours. After the first two hours or so, he went into the kitchen and got some food to put in his bag. No telling how long it would be until they ate something.

He put the bag next to the fireplace and went ahead and started the fire. He should've already had it done, but it hadn't gotten too cold out outside yet. After he had the fire going, he went back and sat on the couch again.

Wenny was in the middle of a particularly unpleasant dream involving Death Eaters when she awoke with a start. She sat up quickly and looked around, remembering where she was. A cabin. Outside of Hogwarts. With a guy she had known less than two days. This was so unlike her.

With a yawn, she walked over to the dor and opened it slowly, peeking out to make sure everything looked safe. Though, had Death Eaters really broken into the cabin looking for them, she most likely would not have woken up on her own in the bedroom. In fact, she may not have woken up at all, but that thought wasn't one she wanted to entertain.

Not seeing anything out of the ordinary going on, Wenny walked into the living room and sat down on the couch beside Carl. "Hey," she said quietly.

He looked over at her and smiled. "Sleep good?" he asked. Judging by the look of her, she hadn't. One of the reasons he had gotten very little sleep at all was because of his nightmares. And they had never went away.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Please let me do the worrying," he told her as he held her. He hated that she worried so much, he could see it in her eyes.

Wenny nodded, "yes, I did. Thanks." She wasn't going to worry him with the details of her dream. He had enough on his mind.

Laying her head on his shoulder, Wenny quietly said "Ok." Though, she knew what he was asking was impossible. There was no way she was not going to be worried, but she would try not to let him know.

Wenny glanced up at him, "if you'd like, you can go sleep for a bit. I'll keep watch." She couldn't help but grin at the thought of her 'keeping watch.' But she figured he really should take the opportunity to get some sleep, since she had no idea where they were going from here.

"No, I'll be fine," he said, smiling at her. He yawned and then glanced at her. "Well, _maybe._ But wake me in half an hour." He didn't want to sleep too long.

He didn't want to sleep on the couch, so Carl stood up and went into the bedroom and fell asleep the second he hit the bed.

Wenny stood up and walked around the cabin, looking at the various things hanging on the walls and such. She saw a bookcase, so she walked over to check out the books. Tilting her head to the side to read the book titles, she spotted one on protective spells, took it with her back to the couch to read. She figured it wouldn't hurt for her to learn a few new spells.

After a few minutes of sleep, Carl heard a loud thump. It was the sound of the front door hitting the ground, blown down by a spell or a very strong person.

Carl fell out of the bed as he tried to get off it as quickly as possible, making a thump himself. He ran over to the bedroom door and attempted to pull it open, but it was either stuck or locked. He tried "Aloharmora," but it didn't work. He cursed. "Wenny, run!" he yelled as loud as he could, as if he knew what had happened.

Wenny looked up when she heard the door crash. She wished she hadn't, though, as there in the doorway was a rather vicious looking Death Eater. She heard another loud noise coming from the bedroom, and glanced back. She heard Carl yell out for her to run, but just like in the forest, she couldn't leave him behind. Besides, she doubted the Death Eater would let her get away anyway.

She may not have been a strong dueler, but there was one thing Wenny could do that no one but her father knew about. She knew she could get in trouble for this with the Ministry, as she wasn't licensed, but she would rather face the Wizengamot than to die at the hands of a Death Eater.

Wenny closed her eyes and concentrated on the bedroom. She felt the familiar sensation of squeezing through a small tube and opened her eyes as she apparated into the bedroom. Not risking spending more than a second more in the house, she grabbed Carl's arm, concentrated once more, and apparated them to right outside of the cabin.

Carl had just kind of stared at her when they were in the bedroom and then outside too. He grinned and cocked his head. "Well, at least now I know why you don't exactly have the need to duel," he said, smiling at her. "Thank you," he said, a bit out of breath.

He looked back towards the cabin. "I have to do this, though," he told her as he pulled out his wand and walked to the edge of the porch, seeing the death eater facing him in the doorway. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted, and the Death Eater's wand flew from his hand.

"They sent one of you!" he shouted, laughing. "Just one? HA! My father should've known that..." he trailed off. His father _should've_ known. And he did. "What's going on!? If my father really wanted us both dead right now or taken to him, he wouldn't have sent just one of you! He knows I can defend myself!" he yelled, completely furious.

The Death Eater just laughed. "Your father knows where you're going, Carl! He sent me to warn you. He'll find you, and your little friend!" he said, nodding in Wenny's direction.

"YOU FILTH! I'LL MURDER YOU!" he yelled. "But first I think I'll have some fun!" he yelled. He didn't know why he was so upset. It was in his blood. "CRUCIO!" he yelled, watching the Eeath Eater fall on the floor, writhing.

Wenny grinned, rather proud of herself, at his comment, "you're welcome." She watched as he walked back towards the cabin, "Carl...?"

She watched as Carl unarmed the Death Eater, and tried listening to what was being said, but she only heard bits and pieces until she heard Carl suddenly start yelling. She watched in horror as Carl used the unforgivable and the Death Eater fell down in pain.

Suddenly, she felt nauseated. Could she have been wrong to trust Carl? Glancing around, she wondered what she should do. Perhaps she should try going back to the school, it was still early. The professors may not even realize they were gone. Only when she tried to take a step did she realize she was too frightened to move.

Carl was rushed with pleasure at using the curse. He knew he shouldn't be. At least he realized it, he thought as he watched the Death Eater, twitching on the ground with pain.

"You'll be sorry you ever listened to my father!" he shouted. "As soon as I get done, you'll be begging for death!"

A voice inside his head told him this wasn't right, but he wasn't listening to it.

Wenny blinked back the tears that had welled up in her eyes. After a moment of trying to decide what to do, she raised her wand to Carl, "expelliarmus!" She was too frightened of him now to approach him while he still had his wand.

Carl's heart skipped a beat when his wand flew out of his hand. He looked down at the Death Eater and then slowly turned to Wenny, his mouth dry. He tried to say something, but failed miserably. He just very slowly shook his head in shock.

Wenny just looked at him for a few moments, her wand still raised at him. Slowly, she began walking over to him, glancing between him and the fallen Death Eater. She wasn't quite sure what to say to him, so she just stood there infront of him for a moment. Finally, she asked "why did you do that?" It came out barely above a whisper.

Carl stood there, still slowly shaking his head, barely noticably. He watched her as she came closer, his eyes glancing at her wand, and then looked down at the ground. "I don't know," he said quietly. He looked back up at her. "Because he threatened you."

He was still in shock as he looked at her before walked off towards the trees and then leaned up against one of the trunks and slid down to the ground, putting his head in his hands.

Wenny glanced over and muttered a spell to keep the Death Eater from moving and then walked over to Carl. She stood there infront of him for a moment, deciding what to say to him. "Thank you for defending me, but...that was an _unforgivable,_ Carl." She knew he already knew that, but her point was that a spell of that nature was uncalled for. And would get him in big trouble with the ministry.

Noting that he looked just as distraught as she probably did, she sat down beside him.

He looked up. To him, it wasn't so much that he used the spell. It was that he was going to kill that man, torture him to death. Wenny had yet again saved him from committing murder.

"That wasn't the first time I've used that spell, Wenny," he told her, not looking at her. "My father taught it to me," he said, wishing his father never did.

She probably shouldn't have been, knowing that Carl's father was a Death Eater, but Wenny was shocked at his admittance to having used an unforgivable before.

Looking away from him, Wenny wondered how she could somehow undo what his father had done, tried to make a killer out of Carl. Maybe it wasn't even possible. Maybe after all the years of being raised by a Death Eater father, Carl really was destined to be a Death Eater. But when Wenny looked at Carl, that wasn't what she saw.

"I honestly don't know what to say," she said quietly. "You're better than this."

Finally, Carl looked at Wenny. "What if I'm not?" he asked her quietly, hopelessly. The whole time, he had been worried that he wouldn't be able to fight his temper and everything that was in his blood, his Death Eater blood.

Wenny shook her head, "Don't say that. You _are._ You just have to get yourself to believe you are." She knew that as long as Carl believed that being a Death Eater was somehow in his blood or something, he'd never be able to fight it.

He sighed. "That was a test. I know it was. I _knew_ it was. My father sent that man to get my anger boiling. He wanted me to torture him. And I couldn't even stop myself," he said with a fake laugh. "I'm pathetic!" he said. He laughed again. "I'm going to stop this self pity thing before it gets out of hand like my anger," he said, hopelessly again.

Wenny sighed and looked away from him. She didn't like this sudden change. Or perhaps he hadn't changed. Maybe _this_ was the real Carl and what she had seen before was simply a watered-down version. She didn't really believe that, though.

"Look at me, Carl," she said. "You've been...programmed to do this. It's going to take some time to...undo what your father taught you," she said as she touched his cheek lightly.

Carl closed his eyes as he felt the touch of her hand on his cheek. He reached up and put his hand on hers. "We better go," he told her as he opened his eyes. He hoped she was right.


	4. First Night

**Disclaimer**All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Four: First Night**

Wenny nodded slowly in reply to Carl saying they should leave, and stood up. "Where are we going?," she asked. Where _could_ they go?

Carl stood up after her and began walking to the cabin. "Somewhere no one would expect us to be when we're hiding. The Leaky Cauldron. If you want to hide something, do so in plain sight," he told her as they reached the porch. He tried his best not to look at the Death Eater. He grabbed his wand which was lying next to the doorway and put it in his pocket, not wanting to claim it as his at the moment.

Wenny followed Carl into the cabin, glancing down at the Death Eater as she passed him. "The Leaky Cauldron?," she asked, a bit surprised, "well, I guess that makes sense."

Once inside the cabin, Wenny walked over to the fireplace. "I assume we're going by floo?," she said.

He nodded as he picked up the bag the was leaning against the wall. He took the pot of floo powder off of the table by the fireplace and offered it to Wenny. "Do you want to go first?"

"Sure, why not?," Wenny replied with a grin. She reached into the pot, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and threw it in the fireplace. "See ya in a few," she said as she gave him a smile and stepped into the fireplace. "The Leaky Cauldron."

A mere few seconds later, she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and stepped out of the fireplace. She walked over and sat at one of the tables, waiting for Carl.

Carl watched as the fire turned green and the next second, Wenny was gone. He walked into the fireplace and dropped the floo powder in. "The Leaky Cauldron," he said, clearly.

He felt the wind and the ashes around him and the next thing he knew, he was lying on his back inside the Leaky Cauldron Fireplace. He stood up, dusting the ashes off of his cloak. He saw Wenny and blushed. "Still getting used to that," he said, shrugging.

Wenny giggled, "Awww, you're rather cute when you blush."

Looking around the room, Wenny didn't see anyone she recognized. She wondered if anyone was looking for them yet, besides the Death Eaters, of course.

"So, what is the plan?," she asked, wondering how long they would stay there, where they would be going next, and various other details Carl may have thought of.

He blushed even worse at Wenny's comment.

"We'll talk when we get a room," he said quietly. He went up to the counter and got keys to their rooms. He went back to her and then led her to her room and went inside.

"Mine's right next door," he said as he closed her door. "We'll stay here tonight and maybe tomorrow, but there's no telling when the Death Eaters will realize we're here," he told her.

Wenny grinned at his blushing, but didn't comment this time. She didn't want to embarass him any moreso.

Once they were inside her room, she sat on the side of her bed, listening to him. "Ok, so do we just...go about our normal activities while we're here? Well, as normal as possible, anyway. Or do we need to kind of stay in our rooms or something,...like hiding out?," she asked.

"Definitely the latter," he said with a grin as he sat down on the bed next to her. "At least for now anyways."

He sighed and looked down at the ground. "I'm so sorry about earlier Wenny. About all of this."

Turning to look at him, Wenny shook her head. "It's ok, Carl." Of course, she wouldn't soon forget about the earlier scene, but the initial shock had worn off a bit. "Just promise me that you'll try not to do it again." She knew it wouldn't be easy for him, but...perhaps if he promised her, he'd be at least a bit more likely to gain control over his 'temper.'

He nodded. "I promise," he told her. He put his hand on her neck and leaned in, but stopped himself. He didn't know if she would even think about kissing him after what he had done.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She looked at him for a moment, then gave him a small smile before leaning in and kissing him.

He smiled against her lips as he kissed her back, gently at first, but then deepened it.

Wenny gently placed a hand on his cheek as she continued the kiss. After a few moments, she pulled back a bit and looked at him, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. Maybe it was the stress of the situation they were in, or maybe it was just _him_, but she didn't trust herself very much at that moment. She considered telling him to go to his own room, but she didn't want him to.

Carl sensed her hesitation. He stood up. "We should probably get some rest," he told her, looking down at her with longing. "Who knows when we're going to get time to sleep."

"Ok," Wenny said, looking up at him and nodding slowly. She looked away for a moment, then looked back up at him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked her, looking at her as if she had lost it. He sat back down on the bed next to her, looking at her curiously.

Wenny blushed a bit. She couldn't tell him the true answer to that question, that she had stopped their kiss because didn't trust herself around him at the moment. "Well, for running you out of my room," she replied. It wasn't the whole truth, but that was as close to the truth as she was willing to admit.

He nodded and gave her a quick kiss. "I don't blame you," he said with a smile as he stood up and walked to the door. He turned around and looked at her. "Good night," he told her as he opened the door and went out, closing it behind him.

Wenny watched Carl leave and then smiled to herself. She was definitely crazy about him. Almost too much so.

She hadn't brought any extra clothes with her, so she went to bed fully dressed. Compared to earlier that morning, when she found it somewhat difficult to fall asleep, this time, Wenny fell asleep fairly easily. Because, for the moment at least, her mind wasn't preoccupied by their current life-threatening situation, but rather by the guy that had just left her room.

Carl went into his room, took off his shoes and laid down in the bed, putting his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't go to sleep for awhile, with all the thoughts in his head.

This girl, the one in the very next room, was changing him. He knew it, but he liked it. If it wasn't for her, he shuddered at the thought of what he would have become.

The following morning, Wenny woke up and glanced around the room. She had never been a morning person, though, so she merely rolled over and soon found herself falling back asleep. Her father used to fuss at her for her bad habit of oversleeping. She couldn't help it, though, she simply loved sleeping.

Carl slept late, a bit later than he had intended to he realized when he actually did wake up. He yawned as he sat up, putting his shoes back on, and then put his hood close over his head as he went out of the room and downstairs, making sure no one could see his face clearly. There were already a lot of people down there.

He ordered coffee and some breakfast and then went back to his room to wait for it, not wanting to stay downstairs.

Wenny awoke again about an hour later and glanced around the room. Again. Except this time, she actually sat up on the edge of the bed. After a few moments, she went and took a quick shower.

After redressing, Wenny figured she should go see if Carl was awake yet. She figured he was. Most normal people didn't seem to have a problem waking up early.

She didn't want to walk in on him unexpectedly, so she politely knocked on the door to his room.

Breakfast had come and was sitting on the table. Carl walked over to the door and opened it. He took her arm and pulled her inside playfully, closing the door and gently pressing her back to it, kissing her. "Good morning," he said against her lips.

Wenny grinned. "Someone's in a good mood this morning. Maybe I should've woken up earlier," she teased before she returned the kiss. After a few moments, she glanced over and saw the breakfast on the table. "You've already ordered breakfast?," she asked a bit surprised.

He grinned as he led her over to the table. "Sure did," he said cheerfully. He pulled out the chair for her. "Hungry?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," she said as she sat down at the table. She couldn't stop smiling as she watched him. "Is there anything I should know about?," she asked, wondering what had put him in such a good mood. Not that she was complaining.

He laughed as he sat down. "Nothing," he said, smiling at her. "I guess I just got more sleep than usual." He went quiet. He didn't have a nightmare last night. He smiled at the thought and started to eat.

"Well, that's good. Whatever made it possible, I hope it happens again," she said. She started eating her breakfast, but kept glancing over at him and smiling. The day was off to a great start and she hoped the rest of the day went equally well.

"So, what is the plan for today?," she asked, looking over at him.

"Well, we could go into Diagon Alley, but we'd have to keep our hoods and our guards up," he said with a grin. "Besides, Death Eaters wouldn't dare attack us with that many people around," he said, hoping he was right.

"Oh, ok...well, that sounds like it could be fun," she said with a slight smile. At least it might get their minds off of their situation for a while.

She finished her breakfast and watched him, trying to hide a grin. Going to Diagon Alley would also get them out of the room for a while. Which was probably a good idea.

Carl finished what little breakfast he had eaten and leaned back in his chair, watching Wenny. He looked away after awhile and stood up, walking towards the window, looking out towards Diagon Alley.

He frowned slightly as he saw people who were laughing and having fun, little or no worries at all.

Wenny watched Carl walk over to the window and decided to give him a few moments alone. With their current situation, they were going to be together practically every moment of the day. She was sure they would both need a little time to themselves occasionally.

"A galleon for your thoughts?," she said as she walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his shoulder.

Carl looked over his shoulder at her, smiling. He turned around and put his own arms around her, kissing her gently, his hands slowly roaming her back.

Wenny rested her arms loosely around his neck and mindlessly played with a strand of his hair as they kissed.

He pulled away. "I guess we should get going," he said, realizing after he said it that it wasn't exactly right. They didn't _have_ to leave. He just remembered what had happened last night. "That is if you want to of course," he added.

What _did_ she want? Well, in all honesty, she _wanted_ to stay there with him. But should she?

Wenny looked at him for a moment, trying to decide between what she _wanted_ to do and what she _should_ do.

"Well, I guess you're right...," she answered slowly.

"You guess?" Carl asked, raising an eyebrow. He sighed, deciding not to press it. "Come on," he said, smiling as he took her hand and headed to the door.

Wenny blushed a bit at his question.

She walked with him to the door, then looked at him. "Well, we don't have to...if you'd rather not..." Part of her was hoping he'd continue on their way to Diagon Alley, but the other part was hoping he'd decide to stay. Perhaps they should go ahead to Diagon, just to be safe. But she'd let him decide.

Carl turned to her. This girl couldn't make up her mind, and it made him smile. He kissed her deeply for a few moments before pulling away. He didn't want her to regret anything. "Come on," he repeated, smiling at her and opening the door.

Wenny nodded and smiled at him, "ok." She reached down and took his hand in hers as they left the room and headed down the stairs to the lobby of The Leaky Cauldron.

Carl had made sure to keep his hood up as they went downstairs. They went into the back of the Leaky Cauldron and made their way into Diagon Alley.


	5. Oops

**Disclaimer**All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Five: Oops**

It felt so weird to be in Diagon Alley when all of their classmates were still at Hogwarts, like they _should've_ been, as Wenny walked along the streets with Carl, glancing into the windows of the shops they passed.

"Awww, look...," she said as they neared the animal store. Wenny loved animals and there was a rather adorable little kitten sitting out front. She played with it for a few minutes and then turned back to Carl. "Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"

Carl smiled as he watched Wenny playing with the kitten. When she turned back to him, he said, "No, not particularly," he said as he kept his eye on the kitten.

He turned back to her, grinning. "Ice cream?" he asked. It was getting to be in the middle of the day and the sun was beaming overhead.

Wenny smiled, "sounds good." She took his hand again and walked toward the ice cream shop. "So...since we are headed to an ice cream shop, what is your favorite flavor?," she asked with a grin.

He pondered on her question for a moment. "I don't know," he said, shrugging. "I've never really thought about it I guess," he said, looking sideways at her.

She turned to look at him. "You don't have a favorite ice cream flavor? That is so sad," she teased.

They walked into the ice cream shop and found the list of flavors. Wenny saw a couple that she liked and was trying to decide between them. After a few moments, she decided on the rainbow sherbert and placed her order, then turned to Carl. "Know what you want?"

"I'll have the same," he told the waiter. "Sherbert's always good," he told Wenny, smiling. They sat down at a table outside, the hood over his head getting a bit annoying. He looked around. What were the chances of death eaters in Diagon Alley? He took off his hood and sighed with relief.

Wenny smiled at him when he took off his hood. He looked much more friendly and approachable. She watched him for a moment as she ate some of her sherbert. "I'm really glad to see you in such a good mood today."

"You know what?" he said as he leaned in. "Me too," he said with a smirk, taking a bite of sherbert.

Wenny grinned, watching him. She took a few more bites of her sherbert and then looked at him. "Do you know how much I like you?"

Carl looked up at her curiously. He shook his head, wondering what she was going to say.

"Neither do I," she said, taking another bite of her sherbert and then glancing back over at him, grinning.

Yes, she was flirting, or at least trying to. Wenny wasn't much of a flirter, but she decided to take a chance on Carl.

Carl laughed and nodded. "Fair enough." He leaned in and took her hand. "Do you know how much I like you?" he asked her, grinning.

"Hmmm...," she wondered if she should actually answer or if she should simply shake her head. For the sake of the game, she shook her head.

"More than you know," he said quietly as he leaned back in his seat again, taking another bite of sherbert and looking at her.

Blushing, Wenny reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Wenny couldn't help but think about how crazy it was that she was so crazy about Carl. She had never felt that way about anyone before. Not that she had had many boyfriends, as she had always been rather shy around guys. But, she just felt different around him somehow. Even though they had only met a couple of days earlier, there was something about him that made her feel as though there was a reason they had met that night. Like she was meant to be here with him right now.

He smiled. "You're cute when you blush," he said, repeating her, trying not to laugh. He took his last bite of sherbert and looked up at her, his smile never fading.

Of course, as his previous comment had done, this comment made her blush even more, which she tried to hide by hiding behind her sherbert cup.

After a few bites, she had finished her sherbert. She stood up, grabbing his hand to pull him up, too. "Where to now?"

Carl stood up with her, looking back and forth down the alley. "Anywhere you want," he said, as he did not know where to go.

"Well, I suppose we can just walk around for a bit before heading back? Unless you want to go back now?," she asked.

Carl looked at her. "Everything is up to you at this point," he said, smiling at her. He wondered if she had figured out her all her mind changes yet. He grinned at her, holding onto her hand.

So. She was right back in the same situation she was in before they left. Stay or go, stay or go? She glanced at the shops along Diagon Alley and the people doing their daily or weekly shopping. There really weren't any other shops she cared to visit. "I guess we can go back now," she said.

He nodded and started walking with her back towards The Leaky Cauldron, still holding onto her hand. He looked sideways at her every now and then. "Do you know why I like you so much?" he asked her, smiling.

Wenny looked over at him, wondering if she should answer him with some witty or cute answer. She chose not to and slowly shook her head.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Because you're smart, funny, and beautiful. And because you saved my life." He kissed her on the cheek and then straightened back up.

Wenny blushed again, and looked at him, not quite sure what to say. After a few moments, she said, "Do you know why I like you so much?"

He had to stop himself from saying something stupid, causing him to laugh. "No," he said, shaking his head.

Wenny stopped walking and turned to him, "because you make me feel loved." She watched him for a moment and then started walking again. She wasn't sure how he would take it, but she was being honest.

Carl stood there, watching her for a moment. He slowly smiled and caught up to her, taking her hand again and giving her a soft quick kiss. "Maybe because I love you," he whispered in her ear. Maybe it was too early to say it, but it was the truth.

Wenny stopped walking again and turned to look at him. She hadn't expected him to say that to her, so it shocked her a bit to hear it. She looked at him for a moment, "I love you, too." She wasn't sure of how it had happened so quickly, and perhaps she had lost her mind, but she was sure that she loved him.

He smiled as he kissed her again. Then he led her back to the back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. He could see the sun was getting close to the horizon.

Wenny walked back to The Leaky Cauldron with Carl, still in a bit of shock from what they had just said to each other.

They went up stairs towards their rooms and Wenny stopped outside of hers and looked at him. She wanted to invite him in, but she wasn't sure she should. "Um...," was about all she could think to say to him.

He grinned at her as he leaned in and kissed her again. He knew what she was thinking. "I'll be in my room if you need anything, ok?" he asked her, not wanting her to feel pressured.

Wenny nodded, "ok." She looked away for a moment, then turned back to him and kissed him. "Thank you," she said, giving him a slight smile. She felt bad for not inviting him in, but she really appreciated that he didn't pressure her.

He kissed her back and then turned to his room and opened the door to go inside. After closing the door, Carl leaned against it and then closed his eyes and sighed.

Wenny went in her room and slowly closed the door behind her. She walked over to bed and sat down on the edge.

After a moment, she laid straight back, her legs still hanging off the side of the bed. She was staring up at the ceiling, though not really seeing it. Her mind was rather occupied with tons of thoughts and questions. What she and Carl had said to each other earlier was no simple thing. Especially for people their age. They should be at school, studying for exams or writing essays. Instead, they were on their own, staying at The Leaky Cauldron, and having thoughts and feelings that she had never had before. It was all a bit overwhelming.

After awhile, Carl quit leaning against the door and went to the table and sat down on one of the chairs. All he could think about was Wenny and protecting her. He wondered just how safe they were here.

Suddenly, he stood up very quickly, knocking over the chair in the process. He cursed as he went to the door and then out in the hall. He started banging on Wenny's door in a hurry.

The loud knocking quickly pulled Wenny from her thoughts. Of course, her mind went to the worst possible scenario, and she ran to the door. She opened it and saw Carl. "What's wrong?"

"The Death Eater. At the cabin. He knows we're here," he said quickly, a bit out of breath. "We said it right in front of him." He cursed again, feeling like an idiot.

He grabbed her hand and ran through the hallway. "I'm such a moron," he muttered. "We need to get out of here," he said as he ran down the hall and downstairs.

Wenny had been so caught up in just being with Carl that she had temporarily forgotten why they were no longer at school.

She didn't want to ask him where they were going, incase there were Death Eaters nearby, so she simply ran along with him. She hoped he had realized it in time for them to change locations without any trouble.

They ran downstairs and towards the back. He didn't want to use the Leaky Cauldron fireplace incase Death Eaters were watching them. They ran back into Diagon Alley.

They ran through the alley of stores and people, Carl holding onto Wenny's hand. They made a quick turn into Knockturn Alley.

When they were out of sight of most of the people in Diagon Alley, Carl looked around. There were a couple of witches further down the alley, but other than that, he saw no one.

He finally ran into Borgin & Burkes and found the pot of floo powder by the fireplace. He turned to Wenny after looking around the store. They were alone. "We're going to Godric's Hollow," he told her in a whisper, offering her the floo powder.

Wenny looked at him. "Godric's Hollow?," she whispered back, glancing around to make sure no one was around. She had heard of Godric's Hollow, practically everyone in the wizarding world had. It was where Voldemort had lost his powers when he tried to kill Harry Potter. She didn't know why Carl would choose to go there, but she was sure he had his reasons.

She took the floo powder, threw it in the fireplace, stepped in, and quickly said "Godric's Hollow" as softly as possible.

Once she arrived at her destination, Wenny stepped out of the fireplace and waited for Carl.

Carl watched as Wenny disappeared and then he stepped into the fireplace afterwards. "Godric's Hollow," he whispered.

He caught himself just before he fell on his back. He stepped out of the fireplace, dusting the ashes off of himself. "I guess I'm getting kind of used to that," he said, grinning as he looked around.

"Finally," she teased, with a grin.

Wenny looked around and then turned back to Carl. "Why Godric's Hollow?"

Carl glared at her jokingly for her first comment, and then shrugged. "Seemed like a safe haven to me," he said as he took her hand and walked around on the streets of the muggle village.

Wenny giggled at his glare.

"Oh, ok," she replied. She knew Carl probably knew a lot more about places they should go and places they should avoid than she did, so she wasn't about to question his judgement.

Wenny walked along with him, taking in the sights. "This is actually quite a cute little village," she mused. Though it may be 'cute,' Wenny knew it had a rather sad history. Yes, Voldemort had lost his powers here, but at what price? Both of Harry's parents had been murdered in the process.

She hoped their situation would have a different ending.

Carl saw a small hotel further down the street and he pointed it out to Wenny. "We'll stay there for tonight," he told her. He wasn't sure what they would do after that.

Still thinking about the Potters' deaths, Wenny simply nodded.

She continued walking along with Carl until they reached the hotel. They walked in and Wenny looked around, noting that it was a rather cute place. Of course, that was only fitting, as it was in a cute village.

Carl went up to the counter and got them rooms and walked back to Wenny, handing her the key to her room. He took her hand gently and led them to their rooms, which were right next to each other again.

Wenny took the key, "thanks." She walked with him up to their rooms. They were in a new place and she wasn't quite ready for him to leave her yet. "Would you like to come in for a little bit?"

Carl looked from his own door to her. Then he nodded. "Sure," he told her, putting his key in his pocket.

Wenny unlocked the door and opened it, then took his hand before walking in the room. She closed the door behind them and then looked at him for a moment. Not quite sure what to say, she walked over to the little table and sat down. "Are you hungry? We could order something...?"

He sat down in the chair opposite her, watching her intently. "Actually, I'm not very hungry. But we could order something if you'd like some food. I wouldn't doubt they have better choices than the Leaky Cauldron," he told her with a grin.

Wenny laughed, "Aww, The Leaky Cauldron wasn't that bad." Though, he had a point.

"And sure, let's see what they have...," she walked over to where the guest information was, grabbed a menu, and came back to the table. "Ok...," she said, scanning the list. "How about something simple? Like...fries or something?"

Truth be told, she wasn't all that hungry either, but she figured dinner would be a good distraction.

"Order whatever you want," he told her, smiling at her as he watched her stand up and come back. He actually had some muggle money with him, not much, but it was enough.

"Ok..., " Wenny replied. She ordered an order of fries and a drink for each of them.

She watched him for a moment, then smiled shyly. The current situation was crazy. Not the part about them being on the run, but rather that she was almost afraid to be alone with him. Not because she didn't trust him. She didn't trust herself. Wenny had never felt so conflicted.

A few moments later, the food arrived and she put it between them on the table. "Here, have some...," she said, offering him a few fries.

Carl looked down at the fries and sighed as he picked one up and put it in his mouth. Then he took a sip of his drink, watching Wenny the whole time.

Wenny ate a few more fries, and feeling Carl's stare, she looked up at him. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he said, smiling as he ate a couple more fries. He turned his gaze to the window and saw the sun getting close to the horizon, shining a pink and orange haze into the room.

She watched him, following his gaze to the window, and wondered what he was thinking about. She figured he was probably just worried about whether or not anyone knew where they were.

"You shouldn't worry yourself too much. I doubt they know where we are yet," she said, still watching him.

He sighed as he looked back at her. "You're right," he told her quietly. She really was right. He didn't want to worry, but he couldn't help it. He worried more for her.

Wenny stood up, walked over to him, grabbed his hands and pulled him up. "Come on," she said with a grin and walked them to the door. She figured they could both stand to be out of the cramped hotel room for a while.


	6. Sleeping Together

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Six: Sleeping Together**

Wenny led Carl to a playground that she had noticed on their way to the hotel. She went and sat on one of the swings and motioned to the swing beside her.

Carl grinned and went to sit down on the swing next to her and started swinging back and forth very slightly, watching the ground move underneath him.

"Are you ok?," Wenny asked, watching him. She noticed he wasn't talking very much and he seemed a bit distracted and it was starting to worry her.

Carl looked at her and smiled, "yeah, I'm fine." He swung the swing to the side, bumping into her slightly as he grinned at her.

Wenny laughed, "hey now." She playfully shoved him and then started swinging slowly, still watching him. She wasn't sure she believed him when he said he was fine, but she figured she shouldn't push him at the moment.

Carl laughed as he stood up and went to stand infront of her in the swing. He picked her up and swung her around a few times before putting her back on her feet and kissing her.

Wenny watched as Carl stood up, wondering where he was going and then laughed as he picked her up and swung her around.

When he kissed her, she rested one hand on his shoulder and put her other hand on his cheek, returning his kiss. At that moment, she just loved being with him. It didn't matter where they happened to be or that their lives were in danger. Just that he was there.

Carl held her in his arms, his hands on her back. Then he moved them to her neck and deepened the kiss.

After a few moments, Wenny looked at Carl, then gently wrapped her arms around his neck and continued the kiss. She wasn't thinking about anything but him at the moment and that she didn't want the kiss to end.

He pulled away as he realized that they were making out in the middle of the park, which made him smile slightly. He looked her in the eyes and started playing with her hair.

Wenny smiled at Carl playing with her hair and she reached over and ruffled his and laughed. After a moment, she hugged him, putting her head on his shoulder. Without moving, she said "I know it's crazy, but I really do love you."

Things seemed to be going fairly well at the moment, but she knew that it would all probably change soon. And she dreaded it.

"I really do love you too," he said, running his hand over her hair. He saw that it was getting dark and he really didn't want to be outside at night with Death Eaters after them. "Maybe we should be getting back to the hotel," he said quietly, kissing her on the top of her head.

Wenny nodded and let go of him, "ok."

She took Carl's hand in hers and began walking back to the hotel. "I don't want things to change." She didn't want to worry him by saying that she was scared, but she felt like she needed to say _something._

He held onto her hand and walked close to her. "I know," was all he could say. He knew how she felt. They got closer to the hotel and he suddenly turned to her and hugged her. "I love you," he said softly in her ear.

Wenny felt like her heart skipped a beat every time she heard him say that, "I love you, too." She held onto him for a few minutes, then gave him a small smile and continued walking back to the hotel.

He smiled at her as he looked sideways at her, nearing the hotel. They reached it just as the sun was going down below the horizon. As they reached the doors to their rooms, Carl kissed her softly. "Well, I guess it's getting late," he said with a yawn. He smiled at her. "I'll see you in the morning," he told her, kissing her again.

She gave him a sweet kiss in return. "See ya," she said, unlocking her door. "Sleep well," she added, remembering his comment from that morning. She smiled as she went into her room and closed the door.

Carl sighed as he went into his own room. He closed the door behind him and laid down on the bed without removing his shoes. This girl drove him crazy, love crazy.

Wenny couldn't stop smiling, remembering the events of the day. Sure, they had had to quickly change locations, but he had told her he _loved_ her. That more than made up for running through the streets of Diagon Alley.

Yawning, she walked over and got in the bed and was sound asleep within minutes.

Carl fell asleep after a few minutes. Only a couple of hours later, he woke up in a cold sweat. He had had another nightmare, but it was different than his normal ones.

He sighed as he sat up in bed and then went out into the hall. He didn't want to wake Wenny, so he pulled out his wand and unlocked the door and quietly opened it to peek in to make sure she was ok.

Wenny vaguely heard a small noise, but in her mid-sleep state, she paid it no attention. She simply shifted a bit and stayed curled up under the blankets.

A few moments later, she rolled over and, out of the corner of her eye, noticed the door seemed to be open a bit. She wasn't sure if she should sit up and grab her wand or just pretend to be sleeping. She decided to pretend to be sleeping, because if it were a Death Eater, any sudden movement might cause them to hex her immediately. But she kept her eyes open just enough to watch the doorway.

He smiled as he noticed that she was safely asleep. He closed the door and then leaned his back up against it, sighing heavily. He could feel his eyes getting puffy as he remembered his dream.

Wenny saw the door close and figured it must've been Carl. If it had've been a Death Eater, surely, they would've attacked her.

Wondering if something was wrong, she decided to go check on him. She stood up, yawning, and walked over and opened the door.

Carl was too deep in thought to stop himself from falling to the floor as the door was opened behind him, his balancing tool now gone.

He looked up at her from the floor and smiled. "I was just checking on you," he said, grinning as he stood up.

Wenny gasped as Carl fell to the floor, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She was trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, not to laugh as she grabbed one of his hands to try to help him up.

"You were checking on me? That's sweet," she said, smiling. Then she had another thought. "Why are you awake? Are you ok?"

He nodded as he stood up straight. "Yea, I'm fine," he said, trying his best to smile, but failing. When he looked at her, he imagined his dream and he shook, afraid of it actually happening.

Wenny watched him for a moment and then said something she had only said to him once before, "I don't believe you." She touched his cheek softly, "please tell me what's wrong?"

He smiled as he put his hand on hers. "It's nothing. Really. It was just a bad dream, that's all," he said, not wanting to worry her.

She knew it must've been pretty bad, though, because she could see it in his eyes. He looked more worried than he had earlier that evening and it bothered her. "I can tell that it wasn't 'just' a bad dream," she said quietly.

He brought her mouth to his in one swift movement. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said against her lips.

Wenny didn't move for a moment, "your dream was about me?" She was tempted to ask him what happened in the dream, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Carl nodded as he held her in his arms. "And I'm not going to let it come true," he said quietly, not wanting to let her go.

Wenny wrapped her arms around Carl and put her head on his shoulders, just enjoying the security of his arms. "You shouldn't let it bother you. Dreams aren't real." Even though she had no idea of the details of his dream, she was trying to reassure herself just as much as she was trying to reassure him.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, his hand running through her hair. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew she needed more rest. He was sure that sleep was out of the question for him. "Do you..." he hesitated. "Do you mind if I stay in here? I'll just sit a chair or something. I just...I want to make sure you're ok."

He felt like a little child, running to his parents' room after a particularly horrific nightmare or an insanely terrifying storm.

She looked at him and slowly shook her head, "no, I don't mind." She took his hand and pulled him into the room and closed the door.

Wenny wasn't sure how she was supposed to sleep knowing he was so close, though.

He smiled at her. "Thank you," he said quietly as he leaned in and kissed her. Then he made his way to the table and sat down on one of the chairs. It wasn't like he was going to get any sleep after that dream anyways.

Wenny laid down on the bed, but, as predicted, all she could do was watch Carl, sitting all alone at the table. She tried facing the other wall, but then all she could do was _think_ about him sitting all alone at the table.

Finally, she got up, walked over to him, grabbed his hand, and led him over to the bed. She motioned to the other side. It was completely innocent. She just couldn't stand the thought of him sitting up at a table all night while she slept...or tried to, anyway.

Carl watched her as he allowed himself to be led to the bed. He smiled at her. "Thank you," he said quietly as he laid down on the opposite side of the bed. He laid down on his side, facing the window as to not make her feel uncomfortable. He didn't think he could sleep though.

Wenny stayed on her side of the bed, facing away from him. But the thought that he was so close was in the front of her mind. She just laid there wide awake for a while. She was tempted to reach over and put her hand on his shoulder or take his hand, but she didn't want to make him, or herself, uncomfortable.

Eventually, exhaustion took over and she fell to sleep.

Carl stayed awake for awhile. When he sensed that Wenny was asleep, he turned over very carefully onto his other side and watched her for awhile while she was sleeping. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever known in his life.

The following morning, Wenny woke up and slowly opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw Carl lying there beside her, and reached over to gently touch his cheek, "good morning."

"Good morning," he said quietly, smiling as he reached over and ran his hand through her hair again. "Sleep good?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I did, actually," she answered with a small smile. Wenny looked at him for a moment, "were you able to get any sleep?"

Carl thought about lying to her and saying he did, but he decided against it. He shook his head slightly. "No," he said quietly.

Wenny frowned a bit. "I'm sorry," she said quietly as she reached over and touched his cheek again. She was worried about him. She knew how stressed he was, but he needed to sleep..._especially_ since he was so stressed. She didn't want him to have some kind of breakdown.

"It's alright," he said as he leaned towards her and kissed her gently. "It's not like I get alot of sleep anyways," he said, smiling at her.

"You need to," she replied, "perhaps we should find you some dreamless sleep potion or something." She couldn't help but think how motherly she sounded, which made her grin.

"Really, I'm fine. But thanks," he said as he sat up in the bed. He looked over at her and smiled, grabbing onto her hand. He wondered what they should do that day, but he didn't feel like worrying about it at the moment.

"Of course you are," she replied with a smirk. Guys could be so stubborn sometimes.

Wenny yawned as she sat up. "can't we sleep for a little while longer?," she whined. Mornings just weren't her thing.

He nodded. "Of course you can," he told her, watching her. Then he yawned. It was contagious. He looked out of the window. It must've been very early since the light of the sun could just barely be seen.

"I didn't just say _me_, I said _we_," she replied, grinning.

She fell back against her pillow, yawning yet again...then looked over at him, "well?"

He smiled at her as he laid back down, putting his head on the pillow again, facing her, "Sure."

Wenny grinned, "I want you to sleep and if I have to lie here and watch you, then that's what I'll do." She took his hand and put it on her pillow, under her cheek. "I'll be right here and I'm going to be fine." She was trying to reassure him so that he wouldn't have a nightmare. She wasn't sure it would work, but it was worth a try.

Carl sighed and smiled at her. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes. How could he be expected to sleep when he was laying in the same bed as Wenny? But he tried his best to fall asleep.

Wenny watched him close his eyes and had to repress a giggle. At least he was trying and she appreciated it. She didn't want to have to worry about his health on top of everything they were going through. She turned her head slightly and softly kissed the palm of his hand.

Carl slowly opened his eyes. "Now how do you expect me to get any sleep with you doing that?" he asked, grinning at her.

Wenny laughed lightly, "sorry. I won't do it again."

"Well, I didn't say you had to quit," he said with a smirk. He sighed. "Come on," he said wearily. "I don't think I can sleep."

She laughed and kissed his hand once more, then turned back to him when she heard his last comment. "Carl, you _need_ to get some sleep. If it'd help, I can go sit at the table," she suggested.

He sighed. "No, that wouldn't help," he said quietly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Now I think that might help," he said, smiling at her as he slowly closed his eyes.

Wenny laughed a little at him pulling her closer and then laid there, watching him as he closed his eyes. She wanted to reach over and touch his cheek or kiss his lips, but she knew that would not help him get any sleep, so she refrained. After a little while, she closed her eyes and fell asleep a moment later.

Carl opened his eyes a little while later and saw Wenny was asleep. He figured he might as well try to get some rest, so he closed his eyes again and eventually drifted off to sleep.


	7. Apologies & Explanations

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Seven: Apologies & Explanations**

A dark, hooded figured appeared in the middle of the room from seemingly out of nowhere. He smirked evily as he stood there with his wand pointed at the young couple peacefully sleeping on the bed.

Wenny was sleeping peacefully, having a fairly normal dream which suddenly started to turn weird. She was surrounded by people she didn't know and Carl was no where to be found. She opened her eyes to make sure Carl was still lying by her and out of the corner of her eye, she could make out what had to be a man, standing in the middle of the room. She quickly closed her eyes, trying to come up with a plan. One that would preferably not get them both killed on the spot. She considered apparating, but she didn't want to risk splinching them, so she had to wake Carl first.

She knew that if she vocally woke him up, the guy would realize that she was awake and would possibly attack. So she slightly turned her head and kissed the palm of Carl's hand. She hoped it worked and that he wouldn't make any sudden movements.

Carl slowly opened his eyes, smiling at Wenny, as he felt her kiss his hand. Then he saw the man standing the room. He looked at Wenny, hoping she would apparate them out of there, but then the Death Eater spoke.

"Don't even think about apparating, girl," he said threateningly. "I've placed a charm around the room. If you try it, you and your boyfriend here will die a very painful death. On second thought, give it a try," he said with an evil grin.

At that, Carl stood out of the bed, pointing his wand at the Death Eater. Again there was only one. "What do you want?" he said, trying his best to stay calm.

"You know your father isn't stupid, Carl," the man said, glaring at him. "He's just waiting for the right time. And when that time comes, you'll just be standing there, watching your girlfriend there being tortured to death."

"Crucio!" Carl yelled, not wanting to waste a moment with this man. His anger was back and he couldn't control it. Then he remembered Wenny, and the promise he made her. He quickly let up on the spell and slowly backed up, lowering his wand in shock.

As she had been with the first Death Eater back at the cabin, Wenny was too frightened to move. The only difference between this time and the last time, though, was the fact that she heard the conversation between Carl and the Death Eater. She heard the man mention _her_ being _tortured to death._

She heart was beating so loudly that she barely heard Carl speak the unforgivable. By the time she realized what he had done, he had already broken the curse. She looked over at him without speaking.

Carl looked down at the Death Eater who was on the ground, and then to Wenny. He saw his dream again, her being tortured to death by more than just one Death Eater. He felt his anger rising again as he looked back towards the Death Eater.

He walked slowly towards the man. "You can tell my filthy, slimy father that it's about time he face me himself and stop sending you pathetic people to test my patience!" he yelled as he got closer to the Death Eater. "You can also tell him that he's going to have to kill me himself before either of you lay a finger on Wenny!" he yelled, his face turning red.

"Now since you're my little pathetic messenger, I won't kill you, but I won't spare you any mercy either! Crucio!" he yelled again. He was going to do anything he had to to protect Wenny.

"C-Carl," Wenny said, though it didn't come out as loudly as she would've liked. "Carl," she repeated, a bit more strongly. She just slowly shook her head. She was still unable to speak, reeling from hearing the man's threat.

"No, Wenny!" he yelled, glaring down at the man. "You heard him! I'm _not_ going to let this happen! I'm going to make sure I get my point through to my father!"

He stepped closer to the twitching Death Eater, looking down at him, feeling rather murderous. "You tell your friends about me," he said through clenched teeth.

Wenny watched Carl speaking to the man and wondered how he could seem so different from the Carl she knew...and loved.

Still sitting on the bed, she hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, wishing it was all some sort of horrible nightmare that she would wake up from. She even considered apparating and probably would have, had the man not mentioned having hexed the room.

Wenny wasn't sure what to say or do to calm Carl down, she just sat there watching him, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. He had promised her.

After a few moments, Carl finally lifted the spell, but then said, "Imperio." He looked at him for awhile before telling him what to do.

The man stood up and Carl could see him wincing from the pain his last spell had caused. The man pulled out his wand and took the charm off of the room.

"Good," said Carl out loud. "Now I want you to leave and you know what else to do," he muttered.

The man turned around and walked out of the room.

Carl turned to Wenny, pocketing his wand. He watched her for a moment, opening his mouth every now and then to say something, but nothing ever came out.

He sighed as he walked over and sat in a chair, looking down at the ground. He felt too ashamed to look up at Wenny. He knew he had promised her and he shouldn't have done what he did. But he couldn't take anyone threatening Wenny. But he knew that didn't matter to her, it was the fact that he had done it.

When Wenny saw Carl make the man unhex the room, she considered apparating. But then, where could she go that she wouldn't be in danger? Carl had said before they left school that there were already Death Eaters at Hogwarts. So even there, she would be in danger. She could've gone home, but she wasn't entirely sure her father would protect her, if Carl's father was as powerful as Carl had said. And that was a rather depressing thought.

She looked over at Carl, wanting to say something to him but not knowing what to say. She was grateful for him protecting her, but she didn't understand why he had to use unforgivables. Not to mention how he could seem so _cold_ when he was angry. What would he do if she somehow made him angry one day? If he wasn't able to control himself, would he turn on her like that? That was a very worrying thought.

She sighed.

Carl was afraid to look up at Wenny. After a few minutes, he finally stood up and went to the door. He opened it and went out into the hall, closing it behind him, and then leaned against the wall, putting his head in his hands and bringing them up to run through his hair.

Why couldn't he just control himself? He knew what he was doing to Wenny. What if he lost her because he wasn't able to wash out the filth his father had put into his head? He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Carl sighed as he went back into the room. He took a deep breath as he looked at Wenny. "I...I don't have an excuse for what I've done. The only excuse I have is that I love you and I just lose control when someone threatens you. He said something that...that told me my dream may not have just come from nowhere. Wenny, if you want to hex me, beat the crap out of me, anything, I won't blame you. I deserve it. If you never want to speak to me again, I won't blame you for that either. But all I ask is that you let me finish what was started, let me protect you and stop from what that man say happening."

He finally sat down, feeling completely helpless. The last thing he wanted was to lose Wenny in any way.

Wenny watched Carl walk out of the room. She figured he was going back to his own room and she thought it was probably a good idea at the moment. He needed to calm down and she needed to just think.

She looked up when he suddenly came back in, and listened to him as he spoke. After he had sat down, she looked over at him. "Carl, before I make any decision, I need to know something. I need to know what you saw in your dream." She paused for a moment, then added "And don't worry about scaring me, I'm already terrified."

Carl took a deep breath as he looked up at her. "You were being tortured by more than just one death eater." He took another breath. "Right infront of me. I couldn't do anything. They held me back and I couldn't get to you. And I couldn't stop them." He felt his eyes getting swollen with tears as he looked down at the ground.

Wenny looked away from him. What he was saying was difficult enough to hear, let alone seeing him crying. She wanted to walk over to him and put her arms around him. But she wasn't quite ready to do that yet.

She replayed his earlier request in her mind, to let him 'finish what was started.' But what if he was killed in the process? She would rather never speak to him again than to think she was the reason he died.

Looking over at him, she asked "are you sure you can handle this?"

He looked up at her as he quickly dried his eyes. "No, I'm not," he said with a fake sounding laugh. He stood up and walked to the door again. Before he left, he turned to Wenny. "I want you to know I love you and that I'm going to do whatever I have to to keep you safe."

Wenny watched Carl leave and felt horrible. How could she have so many different feelings at once? She wanted to yell at him for being so stubborn, to be willing to die to protect her. She wanted to slap him for using an unforgivable, since that made him not much better than the man he was hexing. But at the same time, she wanted to run into his room and hold him and wipe away his tears for it all.

She sat there, trying to decide what to do, for a while...then walked over to his room and knocked on the door.

Carl thought about not opening the door for her as he sat on the bed. He watched the door for a moment. He thought that they both needed to calm down and be alone. But that's not what he wanted. He got up and walked over to the door and opened it.

When Carl opened the door, Wenny just looked at him. She still wasn't quite sure what she was going to say to him or what he might say to her. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but the thought that he might push her away kept her from doing so.

After a few moments, she slowly nodded, "ok."

"Thank you," he said, very quietly. He didn't know what else to say or do. He looked at her, feeling everything from being ashamed to longing.

Wenny stood there for a few moments more, looking at him and then glancing away. Finally, she took a chance and a step closer, and put her arms around him, hoping he wouldn't push her away.

Carl just stood still for awhile before putting his own arms around her and putting his head next to hers. "I know 'sorry' isn't enough," he said quietly.

She turned her head just enough to barely touch his cheek with her lips. Then whispered, "it's ok."

Having heard the details of his dream and hearing the Death Eater talking about her made her realize how desperate the situation truly was. And though she didn't support the use of unforgivables, she understood it.

He turned his his head and met her lips, kissing her softly. "Is there anything I can do that will help?" he asked her quietly, against her lips.

Without moving, she said "just hold me."

She hated the situation they were in and wished everything could be different. But she knew that even though things were horrible right now, if they somehow survived, he would be free to live his life the way he wanted. And that was the one thing that made everything they went through worth it.

"Come on," he said quietly as he took her hands and led her to the bed. They sat down and Carl put his arms around her and just held her in his arms. He suddenly realized that he still hadn't told her his last name and who his father was, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He didn't know what she would say.

Wenny stayed in his arms for a while, it was the only place she felt safe.

After a few minutes, she looked up at him. "Can I ask you a question?"

Carl looked down at her and nodded. "Of course you can," he told her, stroking her hair softly.

"How or why does your father have this much power? To constantly be sending Death Eaters after us like this...?" She wasn't sure she _wanted_ to know, but she felt like she _needed_ to know.

He sighed as he looked at her. He knew he'd have to tell her sooner or later. "My father is Rabastan Lestrange. Bellatrix and Rodolphus are my aunt and uncle." He closed his eyes in hatred. It only made sense that he would be so good at the Cruciatus Curse. His family were the people who tortured Neville Longbottom's parents to insanity.

Wenny wasn't sure what to say, so she looked away. She definitely had heard of his family. His aunt and uncle were among the ones who escaped from Azkaban, after being imprisoned for years for torturing the Longbottoms. And with that, a horrible thought came to her mind. Were they planning to do the same to her?

She didn't understand how such a caring person could come from such a horrible family. But she definitely now understood how difficult it was for him to fight against his father. And she thought he was that much more amazing for doing so.

She looked up at him, "you are nothing like them."

Carl grinned down at her. "Thank you," he said quietly. Although he wasn't completely sure she was right. He already knew he had a hard time fighting the evilness that was in his bloodline. And the thing that scared him most was that he got a rush of excitement when his blood boiled. He closed his eyes at the thought and concentrated on the girl in his arms, the girl he didn't deserve.

"Does your family really think you'll come to their side if they...if they kill me?," she asked. She couldn't understand why people used torture and murder to get their way. Or why it was so important for _Carl_ to be a Death Eater when there were plenty of other young wizards who would jump at the chance to serve Voldemort.

"One: if they do, they have another think coming. Two: They're not getting anywhere near you. Now stop that. I don't want to talk about it anymore," he said quickly. He really didn't. He didn't want to think about his nightmare anymore.

Wenny could tell he was uncomfortable talking about it and to be honest, so was she. She nodded and put her head back down on his shoulder. After a few moments, she said "I still love you, ya know."

He smiled, happy that the fact about his family didn't change at least one thing. "I love you too," he said quietly as he put his head on hers.


	8. Father Figure

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Eight: Father Figure**

The day had already had much more intense drama than Wenny would've liked, so she didn't care if they didn't do anything but stay in that one spot all day. Unfortunately, since his father obviously knew they were there, she figured it would be smart for them to think about moving on.

She looked up at him, "I guess we have to leave Godric's Hollow now...?" She hoped he had an idea of where to go next.

Carl sighed as he nodded. "Yes." He took a deep breath. "My father's trying to mess with my mind. I know exactly what he's doing. He's trying to turn me into a Death Eater before he meets up with us." He closed his eyes. "And I'm falling for it," he added.

Wenny sat up to look at Carl and gently ran her hand down the side of his face, stopping at his jaw. "Please don't say that," she said. The thought scared her. What if he was right? What if, before they finally met up with his father, Carl no longer cared to stop himself from doing what his father wanted? Could he possibly be so far involved by then that he really would simply stand by as she was tortured to death?

"There has to be a way to fight this," she said quietly. There had to be. She just had to figure it out.

He smiled at her. "There is. There's only one thing stopping me from turning into the monster my father wants." He put his hand on her cheek. "You," he said softly before he gently kissed her.

Wenny returned the kiss and then just held him. She wished more than anything that she knew some solution that would make all of this go away. That they could go back to school and just be normal kids...with nothing more to worry about than their upcoming exams. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn't possible.

Carl was trying to think of a place they could go. But he knew wherever it was, his father would find them. He knew one thing, he was tired of running. He thought about locking Wenny in a charmed room and going after his father. But he had no way of knowing what could come of that. He sighed as he held onto her. "We're going to get out this," he told her quietly, trying to reassure her and himself.

Wenny wanted to ask him 'how?' or 'what if we don't?,' but she didn't want to think about that, so she simply nodded.

After a few moments, she pulled away a little, just to look at him. "Is there no one that might be willing to help us?" Maybe they could contact one of their professors at Hogwarts...or there was that 'Order' that she had heard her father mention occasionally. A small group of people who were trying to fight Voldemort. Perhaps they could somehow get in contact with them?

Carl hadn't thought about that, mainly because he didn't want to bring anyone else into their situation. But then he figured that the whole purpose of the Order is to fight Death Eaters. He sighed as he was forming a plan. He knew alot about the Order of the Phoenix, because he was one of the few Slytherins who were friends with the Weasley twins. He had actually pulled a few tricks with them before they left Hogwarts. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get some help.

Wenny watched him, wondering what he was thinking. "I heard my father talking once about this...'Order' of some sort, a group that was trying to defeat Voldemort...," she suggested. She wasn't sure if he had heard of it or not, as she had only heard it mentioned during one of her father's rants. Even if Carl had heard of this Order, she didn't know how they could contact them.

After a few minutes, she shook her head. "Nevermind," she said. She didn't want to get their hopes up that there might actually be help out there.

He smiled at her as he stood up. If it meant stopping what happened in his dream, he would do what he could to get them help. "Come on," he said as he took her hand. "It's time to get out of here." Usually, he would be more stessed by that fact than he was. For once, he had a better plan.

Wenny nodded as she stood up and walked with him. Again, she wanted to ask him where they were going, but, as before, she knew there could be spies around and that it would be better for them not to talk about their plans in public. She watched him as they walked.

They walked back to the fireplace, making sure there was no one around. "We're going back to Diagon Alley," he told her as he handed her some floo powder.

Wenny looked at him a bit confused, but she knew he must have a reason. She took some of the floo powder, threw it in the fireplace, stepped in, and said "Diagon Alley."

A few moments later, she was stepping out of the fireplace in The Leaky Cauldron.

Carl stepped in the fireplace after Wenny was gone and said, "Diagon Alley!" He stepped out of the fireplace and saw Wenny. He took her hand again and led them out of the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. He knew she wanted to know where they were going, but he couldn't risk telling her at the moment.

Wenny looked around as they walked. She loved Diagon and the fact that they were surrounded by people. She doubted that Death Eaters would attack them in such a public place, so she was able to relax a bit as they walked along the street. She couldn't help wondering where they were headed, though.

They made their way through Diagon Alley and then they entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Carl glanced at Wenny and smiled at her.

He saw George behind the counter and went up to him. "George, we need to talk." He looked around the packed store. "In private."

"Why aren't you two at school?" he asked, seeing Wenny.

"George, in private. Please," he told him.

Wenny glanced around as they entered the joke shop, still wondering what Carl had in mind. She saw the red-haired guy behind the counter and knew he had to be one of the Weasley twins. Which one, she wasn't sure...until Carl called him 'George.' She gave the guy a slight smile when he looked at her, then glanced at Carl as he spoke.

George sighed and finally nodded. He still had the same spunk he had had when he was at school, but every now and then you could tell that the stress of what was going on around there was getting to him. "Come on," he said as he led them to a back room. "So what's going on?"

Carl took a deep breath. "You know about my father," he started, bringing up his usual thoughts of why the twins and him were friends in the first place. "Well, he's stepped it up. We're having a bit of trouble."

"Let me guess," he said, smiling. "You two are together," he said with a laugh.

"George, are you listening to me? This is serious."

"Yes, I'm listening. You want a place to go."

Carl nodded.

"Alright. I'll give you directions to headquarters. And if anyone asks, I said it was ok. They know I trust you." He handed Carl a piece of paper.

"Thank you, George," he said as he took it.

Wenny watched and listened to the two talking and blushed a bit when the guy mentioned her and Carl being together. She knew they had behaved themselves, but not until then had the thought crossed her mind that other people might not think the same. Even though that probably wasn't the way George had meant the comment.

When Carl had gotten the paper from George, Wenny looked at him, wondering where this 'headquarters' place was...and hoping that they would be safe there.

She turned to George, "thank you."

George looked from Carl to Wenny. "You're welcome. Now I suggest you get going. I need to get back to work. You guys want any extendable ears or something else before you leave?"

Carl smiled at him. "No, but thank you. For everything." They left out the back door and headed in the directions given on the note.

"He was...interesting," Wenny commented as they walked along. She glanced around as they walked, trying to figure out where they might be headed. "So you were...are friends with the Weasleys?" She found it a bit interesting, given who his family was. Not that he could help that.

Carl smiled at her. "Well, lets just say I actually got along more with the twins than someone like Malfoy," he said with a laugh. "I never really fit in with Slytherin. I guess to me, it was always the house that allowed for the students to be troublemakers, not Death Eaters."

Wenny grinned at his mention of Malfoy. She had had a couple of run-ins with Malfoy. The boy was a git and she was glad Carl hadn't really gotten along with him.

"I was supposed to be in Slytherin," she said, even though she knew she had already told him her situation. She couldn't imagine herself as a Slytherin. She wondered if the house would've changed her. It was a weird thought.

He put his arm around her waist as they walked. Reading the directions, it would probably take them about half an hour to get there. He looked around nervously, hoping they didn't have any runins with any death eaters on their way.

Wenny noticed his nervousness and looked over at him. He always seemed so sure of himself, so whenever she saw him nervous, it made her nervous. "Is something wrong?," she asked.

He looked back at her and smiled. "Everything's fine," he told her, hoping he was right. He just had a weird feeling. They got closer to Grimmauld Place. "We're almost there," he told her, happy that they were.

She continued watching him for a moment, "ok." She still had no idea where they were going, so she was still looking around curiously as they walked. "About how much further is this place? I can apparate us there if I know where we're going...?" Unlicensed apparating could get her into trouble, but she had already done it once, so what would be the harm in using it again?

"I've heard of people who can track people who apparate, so right now maybe we should only use that as a last resort," he suggested. "And besides, we're already in trouble with Death Eaters, we wouldn't want to get in trouble with the ministry as well." He looked around again. "We should be there in a few minutes," he told her.

Wenny turned back to looking around them, "Oh...yeah...ok." She knew he was right, but she felt rather vulnerable, walking in a strange area with nothing but their wands for protection. Sure, Carl had proven he could take care of them against one Death Eater, but what would happen if more than one attacked them?

Carl suddenly saw a dark hooded figure. He cursed under his breath. "Here we go again," he muttered as he pulled out his wand slowly, keeping it hidden from the death eater. He turned to Wenny. "I swear to right now that I won't use an unforgivable." Maybe if he did that, he really wouldn't.

He turned to the man and yelled, "Expelliarmus!" He watched as the man's wand flew out of his hand. Then he saw another man come out of the shadows. "This can't be good," he said quietly.

Wenny hadn't noticed the stranger until she heard Carl speak to her. She glanced over and saw him just as Carl disarmed him...and she then saw the other. She turned to Carl, wondering if she should apparate them. He said to use it as a last resort, but...if there were two Death Eaters here, there could possibly be more and she didn't like the thought of that.

She pulled out her wand, but she knew that no matter what spells she tried, she couldn't possibly compete with the skills of the Death Eaters. She was hoping Carl would tell her to get them out of there.

"What have you decided, Carl?" came a cold icy voice from the shadows. "Expelliarmus!" it yelled, disarming Carl and Wenny.

"Dad!" Carl yelled, starting to get angry again.

Wenny turned to Carl, rather shocked, as her wand flew out of her hand. The Death Eaters were one thing...but Carl's father was a whole different monster. Literally.

She reached over and grabbed Carl's hand, tempted to apparate them, but she wanted some kind of sign from him first.

"What have you decided, Carl?" the man repeated.

"Go to hell!" Carl yelled at him as he saw one more Death Eater come out of the shadows. Now there were three of them. He looked at their wands on the ground, but he couldn't risk getting them. He squeezed Wenny's hand, hopefully she'd get the idea to apparate them.

Rabastan just laughed. "Too late, Carl! I'm already there. Don't make me kill my own son!"

"Like you care!" Carl yelled, spitting at him.

Wenny felt Carl squeeze her hand and she knew what he was thinking. She quickly tried to think of where she could apparate them to. She had no idea where they had been headed, so the 'headquarters' that George had told them about was out of the question. But, anywhere was better than their current location, so she closed her eyes and concentrated on The Leaky Cauldron.

Carl kept his eyes on his father who just started laughing. "You don't think we're that stupid, do you? Of course we're not just going to let you apparate out of these situations. Maybe you really don't have what it takes to be a Death Eater," he said coldly.

Carl cursed. "Look, you can do whatever you want to me, just let Wenny go," he said, as calmly as he could.

Finding herself unable to apparate _really_ scared Wenny. That was her primary method of defense, to get herself out of the situation. So now, without her wand and without the ability to apparate, Wenny was terrified.

Hearing Carl's statement, she looked over at him wide-eyed and shook her head, "no." She glanced back at Rabastan LeStrange, trying to think of something, anything, she could do to save them. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a single thing.

Carl could sense Wenny was scared and he wanted to get her out of this situation.

"Oh, please Carl! You know that's not going to happen," Rabastan said.

"You're going to have to kill me to get to her," he said, moving to the side to stand infront of Wenny.

His father cocked his head. "Very well," he said as he raised his wand.

Wenny heard Carl and saw him stand infront of her. She couldn't stand the thought of him dying, though...not to mention that it would be for naught, as then she would be left alone with his father. She didn't understand why these people were so intent on killing her. She loved Carl and didn't want to see him forced to live as a Death Eater when it wasn't what he wanted. Was that really a reason for them to want her dead? Did Rabastan truly not care about his own son?

That question was answered when she saw Rabastan raise his wand. Without a second thought, she gathered all of her strength and shoved Carl out of the way.

Carl was thrown to the ground.

Rabastan laughed. "Do you think I would really kill my own son?" he said, his wand still aimed at her. "My son will be a great Death Eater, once he sees what we can do. Crucio!"

"NOOOO!" Carl yelled as he stood up and started to run towards Wenny, but the other two Death Eaters grabbed his arms and held him back.

Wenny heard Rabastan say the unforgivable a mere second before she felt the horrid pain sear through her body. She screamed and fell to the ground, unable to move as the pain continued. She had never before experienced such pain. It was so intense and unrelenting, she couldn't even see. She had no idea whether Carl was alright or where he was. She hadn't even realized that she had been holding her breath until she felt herself gasp for air.

"NOOO!" Carl screamed again, struggling against the two Death Eaters. This was his dream, he hadn't stopped it. "Stop, _please!_" he pleaded, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

Lestrange let up on the curse and walked over to Carl. "You're pathetic. I knew we should have never adopted you."

At that, Carl looked up, shocked. "W...What?"

"You heard me. Now that you know, I don't have a problem killing you. Crucio!"

Carl fell to the ground as the death eaters let up on him, twitching madly.

Wenny was lying on the ground, still in pain from the unforgivable, though the curse had been lifted. She heard Rabastan and Carl speaking, but as her mind was still reeling from the shock and pain of the curse, she couldn't really make out what was being said.

After a few moments, she realized her back was hurting and figured she must've landed on a rock when she fell, so she reached behind her to move it and was rather surprised when her hand grabbed what seemed to be a wand.

With what little strength she could muster, she pointed the wand at Rabastan, "expelliarmus!"

Rabastan's wand flew from his hand as he had been caught off guard. He turned around quickly to see Wenny with a wand.

The spell had lifted when Rabastan lost his wand. Carl looked up, completely out of breath and in pain.

"Get her!" Rabastan yelled to the other two death eaters who pointed their wands at her.

Carl looked up at the Death Eaters. No way was he going to let it happen again. He stood up, pain searing through his body, but he ignored it. He elbowed one of the Death Eaters in the stomach, but then fell back on the ground with him, the pain too much.

Wenny heard Rabastan's command and turned to look at the other Death Eaters. She saw Carl elbow the one Death Eater and fall to the ground, so she pointed the wand at the other Death Eater and yelled "expelliarmus." She then turned to Rabastan and shouted "petrificus totalus," before running over to Carl. Sure, it wasn't a particularly advanced spell, but it would prevent Rabastan from coming after her.

She fell down beside Carl and looked at him. "Are you ok?," she asked, out of breath.

"We need to get out of here," he said, barely above a whisper. It hurt just to talk. "Are you strong enough to apparate?" he asked her quietly, trying his best to stand up, but not succeeding. He looked from his Rabastan to the Death Eaters.

To be honest, she wasn't sure, but she nodded. She had to try at least, because he was right, they had to get out of there before the hex wore off of his father and the other Death Eaters regain their wands. She grabbed Carl's hand and closed her eyes, concentrating on The Leaky Cauldron. She hoped it worked.

"Wait!" Carl said quickly. He was tired of running and he wanted this to end now. He very slowly stood up and ran over to his wand, wincing as he did so. "Stupefy!" he yelled at both of the death eaters, and they fell down to the ground.

He went over to Rabastan, his wand pointed at him. "This ends _now_," he said, out of breath. "Face the fact that I'm not your son and I will never be who you want me to be. If I ever see you again, I won't hesitate killing you," he said, through gritted teeth. He walked back over to Wenny.

Wenny watched Carl walk over to Rabastan, hoping he wasn't going to use an unforgivable on the man. Not because the man didn't deserve it, but because Carl had swore to her and she didn't want to see him turn into a murderer.

When he walked back over to her, she looked at him, wondering what his comment had been about. She figured he would explain later, as they really needed to get out of there. She grabbed his hand and once more closed her eyes and concentrated on The Leaky Cauldron.


	9. Grimmauld Place

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Nine: Grimmauld Place**

They appeared at the Leaky Cauldron and immediately, Carl wrapped his arms around Wenny. "I can't believe I let that happen," he said, trying his best not to cry again. He already felt weak enough without that.

Wenny looked at Carl and quickly shook her head, "no, Carl, listen to me. You didn't _let_ anything happen. Please don't blame yourself." She wrapped her arms around him and just held him close, right there in the middle of The Leaky Cauldron. She didn't care if anyone else was there or was staring at them. They had both survived and that was all that mattered.

"I knew it was going to happen. I saw it happen. I could've stopped it," he said, holding her and wanting to never let go. He was glad it wasn't worse, but he still hated that any of it happened. His mind ran over him being adopted, but it quickly went back to Wenny.

"How could you possibly have stopped it, Carl?," Wenny asked, watching him closely. She knew he couldn't have stopped it, but she needed him to realize that. He may have seen it in his dream, but he had no way of keeping it from happening.

"We shouldn't have left here in the first place," he said quietly. "Come on," he said, taking her hand and going to the back and out towards Diagon Alley. It had only been dark for a little bit, so he hoped Fred and George would still be there.

Wenny nodded as he took her hand and they walked out towards Diagon Alley. "I don't blame you in any way, Carl," she said, looking over at him as they walked.

"I know you don't," he said, but he blamed himself enough for the both of them. He hadn't done anything to stop it, but she had for him. "You know you saved my life," he told her.

She shook her head, "No, you heard him...he wasn't going to kill you. I can't believe I fell for it." She felt completely stupid for having believed the man. It had almost gotten her killed.

Carl stopped and turned to her. "Listen to me. We'll both agree that neither of us did anything wrong. We did what we could and what happened happened. Now it's over. Alright?" he asked her, holding her as he looked down into her eyes.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding slowly, "ok." She hoped he was right, that it really was over. But for some reason, she wasn't so sure it was.

He started walking again, putting his arm around her waist as they headed towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. "We should probably stay at the Order headquarters until we're for sure we can return back to school safely." _If we can at all,_ he thought. He hoped it was over and they wouldn't come after them again.

For the first time since the attack, Wenny grinned slightly. "On one condition: that you let me apparate us there." She didn't want to risk yet another attack on the way to the headquarters.

She looked around at the people in Diagon Alley and sighed, thankful to still be alive.

He grinned. "Deal," he said as they entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and saw George.

"Hey, did you two not go?" George asked, and then paused. "You two alright? You don't look so good."

"We'll be fine. We're just going to use your back room if you don't mind," Carl told him.

"Sure, go ahead," George said.

They went in the back room. "Think Grimmauld Place," Carl told Wenny. "And you don't have to do this if you aren't up to it."

"Aren't up to it? I'm more up to apparating than...," she broke off. She didn't want to think about the attack anymore.

"Grimmauld Place...ok...," she said before taking his hands in hers and closing her eyes, concentrating on Grimmauld Place.

The next second, they were standing in the middle of a dark street, surrounded by houses. Carl looked around and saw houses eleven and thirteen, but no twelve. He took out the paper that George had given him and read it:

_The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

The next second, a dirty looking house appeared between houses eleven and thirteen. Carl went up to the door and knocked.

Wenny watched as the house suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere and walked up to the front door with Carl. Other than knowing that this was some kind of 'headquarters' for this 'Order' that she had heard about, Wenny had no idea who might live here. The house certainly didn't look very promising, however.

A few moments later, she heard the sound of someone at the door.

The door opened and there stood Mrs. Weasley. Carl smiled at her. "George said that..." he began, but Mrs. Weasley cut him off.

"We've been expecting you. Come in, come in." She led them inside and then closed the door behind them. "Lets take you two into the kitchen. You look like you could use some butterbeer."

When Wenny saw Mrs. Weasley, she couldn't help but smile a bit. She had never met the lady, but Mrs. Weasley just seemed like a warm, friendly person.

As they walked into the house, Wenny glanced around, taking in the rather odd decorations. But even though the house seemed rather dark and gloomy, she some how felt they would be safe there. Perhaps it was the fact that there were other people there who knew what it was like to fight the dark side, Wenny wasn't sure. She looked over at Carl and smiled as she took his hand.

Carl smiled at Wenny as he held onto her hand and then turned his gaze to Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Weasley," he told her.

"Oh, it's no problem at all, dears," she said as she showed them to the kitchen and got them both butterbeers. "Anything for friends of Fred and George," she said, smiling at them.

Wenny said a quiet "thank you," as she took the butterbeer from Mrs. Weasley. She wasn't quite sure what else to say, so she just watched the woman as she walked around the kitchen, preparing a meal or whatever she was doing.

After a few moments, she turned to Carl, "so what is this place?" She was still a bit unsure of exactly what this "Order" was and who else was involved in it.

Mrs. Weasley heard Wenny's question and answered. "The Order of the Phoenix is an organization that fights against Death Eaters. This is headquarters, a safe haven where we have meetings and such. Now our spy within the Death Eaters has informed us of your current situation."

Carl looked at her curiously. "Spy?"

"Severus Snape, dear. But that is all I am allowed to say. Now are you both hungry?"

"Professor Snape?," Wenny asked, a bit shocked. She had no idea he was a Death Eater, let alone a Death Eater turned spy for the Order. No wonder he was always so grumpy, he must be under tremendous stress to be posing as a Death Eater without getting found out. She couldn't imagine what would happen to him if Voldemort ever found out where his true loyalties lie.

She heard Mrs. Weasley's question and nodded slowly. She wasn't sure she'd actually be able to eat anything, but she was rather hungry.

"That'd be great, Mrs. Weasley," he said quietly as he looked down at the table. Something was bothering him again, the fact he was adopted. At the mention of Snape, he remembered his friends had always told him he had a resemblance to Snape. Thankfully, it wasn't his nose.

Wenny could tell by his voice that Carl wasn't his usual self, not that it was completely unexpected after what they had just been through. She wasn't exactly feeling up to her usual self either. She turned to look at him and saw that something was bothering him. "What's wrong?," she asked as she reached over and touched his cheek.

Carl shook his head, snapping himself out of deep thinking. "Nothing, it's fine," he told her quietly. He put his head in his hand and then quickly looked back up. He looked over at Mrs. Weasley, bustling around the kitchen and then back at Wenny.

He couldn't lie to her. He took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if she had heard Rabastan say that he was adopted. "My dad...Rabastan," he said, wanting to correct himself. "He told me I was adopted," he told her. He didn't care if Mrs. Weasley heard him. She might know something.

Wenny watched Carl, getting more worried by the second. Something was definitely bothering him. She was about to tell him that it wasn't "fine," when he finally told her.

She wasn't sure how to react. In a way, she thought it was a good thing. Carl had always seemed to believe that he was 'bad' because of his 'blood,' so it was good that he could finally realize that he didn't _have_ to be like them. But at the same time, she could only imagine what it must be like to find out the person you believed to be your father...wasn't. No matter how horrible your parents may be, deep down, you still care for them...as Wenny very well knew.

Not knowing what to say, she reached over and put her arms around him.

Carl sat there for a second before putting his own arms around her. He smiled, glad that she was with him.

Mrs. Weasley heard him and turned to him. "I really am sorry that no one told you, Carl. The twins knew too. I hope you're not upset."

Carl shook his head. "No, ma'am. I understand."

"It was to protect you, even if you don't think so right now."

Carl got a feeling that Mrs. Weasley knew more than just what she said, but he wasn't sure he cared to know just how much more.

"How could thinking he was truly the son of that man have protected Carl?," Wenny asked. She wasn't trying to be rude, but she had seen Carl constantly beating himself up because he thought it was in his 'blood' to be like Rabastan LeStrange.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "You are both too young to completely understand. Please just know that Dumbledore also agrees. Now, you two eat up and then I'll show you to your rooms," she said, putting some soup infront of them.

Carl didn't care at the moment that they hadn't told him. He felt too numb to really care about anything except for the fact that Wenny was ok. But something in the back of his mind kept nagging at him. But he figured since he didn't know what it was, he left it alone.

Wenny nodded to Mrs. Weasley. Perhaps the lady was right, but it still bothered Wenny a bit to think that they had purposely let Carl believe he was Rabastan's son. Suddenly, she wondered if they knew who Carl's _real_ father was...?

She glanced over at Carl and saw that he still didn't seem to be taking it all very well, so she reached over and touched his cheek again. "Are you ok?" Of course, she knew he was probably going to say he was 'fine,' but she was hoping he would actually talk to her.

Carl smiled as he looked up at her and took her hand off of his cheek and gently kissed it. "I will be," he told her. Right now all he wanted to do was go back to school. "Mrs. Weasley, do you know when we'll be able to go back to school?"

She sighed. "I do not, dear. As soon as we hear from Severus. It might take a day or two though."

There it was again. Another nag and a chill. Was it Severus's name. He couldn't tell. He slowly nodded and turned to his food.

Wenny smiled as he kissed her hand. She turned to look at Mrs. Weasley when she heard Carl's question. "Well, that shouldn't be too bad...," she said, turning back to Carl. Again, she noticed he seemed rather preoccupied. She decided to ask him later and let him eat his meal in peace. She sighed and turned to her own plate.

Before he started eating, he kissed her on the cheek. He started eating, but after two bites, he stopped. He realized he couldn't eat anymore. He sat there, staring into his soup.

Wenny smiled and began eating her dinner. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carl stop eating, so she turned to him. "Carl, are you ok?" She was really starting to get worried about him.

He turned to her and smiled. "Wenny, please stop asking me that," he said, stroking her hair. "I just have alot on my mind is all." He kissed her on her cheek again. He was wondering where he had got his temper from if it wasn't from Rabastan. He had an idea, but he didn't want it to be true.

"I'm just worried about you," she replied, watching him. "You know you can talk to me if you need to. That's kinda what I'm here for," she said with a slight smile. She didn't want to push the issue, though, so she turned back to her meal. If he didn't want to talk to her, she couldn't make him.

"I know," he said, smiling at her. After that, he was able to eat a little more.


	10. Just Breathe

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Ten: Just Breathe**

When they were done eating, Mrs. Weasley led Wenny and Carl to their rooms up the creaky stairs. They were relieved to discover that their rooms were right across from each other, on the same corridor.

After Mrs. Weasley made sure they were in their separate rooms and had then gone back downstairs, Carl went into the hall and knocked softly on Wenny's door.

Wenny heard the soft knock at the door and smiled as she walked over and opened the door. "Yes? May I help you?," she teased.

Carl brought her mouth to his in one swift movement. He pulled away quickly though. "Yes, you may," he said, grinning. He stood in the doorway. "Actually, I just wanted to talk if you don't mind," he told her.

She grinned at the kiss, "No, of course I don't mind. Come on in." She stepped to the side so he could walk into the room, then shut the door quietly behind him. She was about to ask if he was ok, but caught herself...since he had told her to stop asking. The thought made her grin slightly.

He wasn't exactly sure he wanted to divulge everything. Because he wasn't sure if he was right, but he didn't want to be either. He just sat down on the bed and looked up at her.

Wenny watched him, wondering what was bothering him so much. She walked over and sat down beside him, then turned to him. "What did you want to talk about?"

Carl shrugged. He had so many things he could talk about, but he didn't know exactly what to talk about. He just wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. "I love you," he said quietly.

She looked at him and smiled, then put her cheek to his and whispered, "good, 'cause I happen to love you, too." She just stayed in his arms for a few minutes, then looked up at him. "I have a feeling that that isn't what you came over here to talk about, though. So please tell me what's bothering you?"

He sighed as he looked away. He didn't really know how to start or what to say first, so he winged it. "We might be getting to go back to school soon," he said, which actually did kind of cheer him up some.

"Yeah, it's going to be weird, though...being back there after...everything," she replied. She could tell that wasn't what was on his mind, though. She didn't know how to get him to tell her, so she just waited.

He nodded and was quiet for a little bit. "You know what?" he said, suddenly in a less silent mood. "This might be the last night we get to spend together before we have to go back to school. I don't want to talk about things," he told her.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, still wondering what it was that was bothering him. She figured he'd talk about whatever it was when he was ready to, so she nodded, "ok."

He smiled as he turned back towards her and gently kissed her and then just held her there for the next few moments. He tried to push everything he was thinking to the back of his mind.

She put her arms around him and her head on his shoulder. She hoped he knew how much she loved him and that she was going to be there for him through whatever it was that was bothering him. She lifted her head just enough to give him a soft kiss on his jaw.

Carl smiled as he looked down at her and met her lips. "I can leave if you want," he said quietly. He knew that she probably needed some sleep after the long day. But he wasn't sure she would be able to sleep, because he didn't think he would be able to.

Wenny slowly shook her head, "no, I don't want you to leave." She just wanted to stay in his arms. Especially after everything they had gone through. Sleeping was going to be difficult enough, and it would be even worse if they were separated.

He smiled and nodded. "Alright," he said as he pulled her closer to him and rested his head against hers. He was glad she said that she wanted him to stay. He really didn't want to leave her.

She loved feeling him so close to her. His arms around her made her feel safe and loved. She never wanted to let go of him. She knew things were going to change once they got back to school, though. Not only were guys not allowed in girls dorms and vice versa, but they were in totally different houses as well. "Things are going to be different once we get back to school."

"Lets not think about that right now," Carl replied, stroking her hair again and kissing her forehead.

"Ok," she agreed. After a few minutes, she looked up at him, "are you sleepy at all?"

He shook his head. "No, not really," he said. After all, how could he be? All he was was a little bit sore.

"Well, will you lie down with me?," she asked quietly. She wasn't sure she would fall asleep, but she figured it was worth a try, since they both could use some rest. It had been a long day.

He nodded. "Sure," he said as they laid down on the bed, Carl's arms still around her. He kind of hoped he wouldn't fall asleep incase Mrs. Weasley came back, but he doubted he would be able to anyways.

"Thank you," Wenny said quietly, "for everything." He might have thought he let her down or that he could've somehow prevented the attack, but she didn't see it that way. And the fact that he had offered himself in her place had truly touched her. She had never known anyone who would go to that extent to protect her. Not even her parents.

Carl really didn't think that she had anything to thank him for, but he said, "You're welcome," anyways. "And thank you too. For everything," he told her, kissing her cheek.

Wenny simply smiled and closed her eyes. Surprisingly, she soon found herself slipping into sleep, and whispered "I love you, Carl." A few moments later, she was sound asleep.

Carl watched her sleep for a long time. After awhile, he saw the black sky outside the window turning to a dark blue and then a lighter blue. He decided to go downstairs to see if Mrs. Weasley was awake yet.

Sure enough, Mrs. Weasley was bustling around in the kitchen making breakfast. "Hello, dear. The gang will be in in a couple of hours for breakfast like usual," she said happily.

Carl sat down at the table after getting himself a butterbeer. "Mrs. Weasley, do you," he paused, trying to think of a good way to word his question. "Do you know who my birth father is?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed as she walked over to the table. She handed him a butterbeer and then sat down. "I suppose you're old enough to know. And I suspect that it won't come as too much as a shock to you."

Carl took the butterbeer and guessed who it was before Mrs. Weasley got a chance to tell him. "It's Snape, isn't it?" he asked quietly, looking from her to the table.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I know this is alot to handle all at once, but he's not a bad guy, Carl." She gave him a motherly hug and went bustling around the kitchen again.

Carl silently left the kitchen and went back upstairs with his butterbeer. He went into his room, not wanting to wake up Wenny. He sat down on his bed, staring at the floor.

As usual, Wenny slept later than she should and even then had to force herself to wake up. The first thing she noticed was that Carl was gone...which made her wake up a bit quicker than she usually did.

Thinking he had possibly gone down for breakfast, Wenny walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She didn't find Carl, though...only Mrs. Weasley. She couldn't very well ask Mrs. Weasley where Carl was because she would've expected him to have slept in his own rooms, not hers.

She started to simply turn around and go up to check Carl's room, but she didn't want to be rude, so she said a quick "Good morning, Mrs. Weasley" before going back upstairs. If nothing else, it'd let the lady know she was awake.

Wenny reached his room and softly knocked on the door.

Carl quickly looked up at the door after sitting there for awhile in shock. He slowly stood up and walked to the door and opened it to see Wenny. "Hey," he said quietly, with a half smile, something between a grin and a frown.

Wenny frowned when she saw him. She could tell that whatever had been bothering him had somehow gotten worse. She gave him a hug, then looked at him, "Carl, please tell me what's wrong."

Carl sighed as he sat his butterbeer down on the table. He grabbed her hands and gently pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them, and led her to the bed.

They sat down and he turned to her, taking a deep breath. "Severus Snape is...he's my father," he said quietly. He began wondering about his mother, but at the moment he didn't care to know details or anything more than he already did.

Wenny looked at him, rather surprised, "Professor Snape? You're sure?" It was definitely an interesting development, but not an entirely negative one. After all, according to Mrs. Weasley, Professor Snape was risking his life spying on Voldemort. Then Wenny had a thought: no wonder Carl had been strong enough to fight against his 'father.' It all made sense to her now.

She looked at him with a small smile, "Carl...why do you look so sad about this?"

He took another deep breath as he looked away. "Almost six years. I've known him for _six years._ And he couldn't even tell me." He had always had an admiration for Snape as a professor, but as a father...he didn't think so much. But at least now he knew where his anger came from, which made him grin slightly.

"You heard Mrs. Weasley...they couldn't tell you, 'for your own protection.' That isn't Professor Snape's fault," she said. She looked at him for a moment before continuing. "Carl, Professor Snape is a brilliant man. A bit...snarky at times, but brilliant. And if what Mrs. Weasley said is true, that he's risking his life for the Order, he's not only brilliant, but he's somewhat of a hero as well."

The more she thought about it, the more alike the two guys seemed.

"And what's his excuse? He just...didn't want me?" he said, starting to get angry. He took another deep breath to control it. He put his head in his hands and then brought them up to run through his hair.

Wenny watched him for a moment. To be honest, she hadn't thought about that...but, she was sure that Professor Snape had his reasons. But how could she say that to Carl? She had no idea what Professor Snape's reasons were.

"Carl, maybe he was spying for the Order even back then...that might explain Mrs. Weasley's 'for your protection' comment," she suggested.

He sighed, realizing Wenny was probably right. But he wanted to be mad at all of them so much. "Why did it have to be Rabastan?" he asked out loud, more to himself.

She put her arms around him, "look, I know this is tough to deal with, but let's try to see the bright side, ok? You've just found out that you have 'hero' blood, as opposed to 'monster' blood." She smiled a little, "Not that that surprises _me_ at all."

He smiled as he put his arm around her waist. "Thanks," he said quietly. He still wondered why it had to be Rabastan. The thought of the Order testing him made him get a little bit upset again.

"You're welcome," she said with a slight smile. She noticed he still seemed to be having trouble dealing with it all, which was totally understandable, so she said "would you like me to leave you alone for a bit? So you can...think...or something?"

Carl wrapped his other arm around her. "No," he said. "Unless you want to," he added sadly, removing the arm he just put around her. He actually felt he might blow something up if he was left alone.

Wenny looked at him, "Carl, I never _want_ to leave you alone. I just don't want to be in the way if you need time to think things through." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Wenny, you're never in the way," he said, smiling and kissing her back on the cheek as he put his arm back around her and stared nuzzling her neck.

She giggled a little and closed her eyes, as his breath on her neck tickled. This guy seemed to always know exactly what to do to make her crazy.

Carl grinned as he made Wenny giggle. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he kept nuzzling her neck a little bit longer.

"You know, you better hope Mrs. Weasley doesn't catch you doing this," she whispered, grinning.

He laughed as he began kissing her neck. He started kissing from her neck to her cheek and then slowly made his way to her lips.

Wenny's breath caught as she felt Carl kiss her neck, and she bit her bottom lip lightly. When he reached her lips, she continued the kiss as she put a hand on his cheek.

He kissed his way to the other side of her neck, his hand on her head, stroking her hair lightly as he did so. His other hand had moved to her waist.

She could barely breathe, let alone speak, as he was driving her absolutely insane. She knew if he didn't stop soon, they were going to be in a very dangerous situation, so she turned enough to reclaim his lips with hers.

Carl continued the kiss for the next few moments and then finally pulled away, smiling at her as he grabbed her hand and put his other arm back around her waist.

Wenny wasn't quite sure what to say, or if she could even speak yet, so she just looked at him, a shy smile on her lips.

The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable so he figured they would be best to go downstairs with more people, unless of course Wenny wanted to stay. "You want to get some breakfast or something?" he asked her, playing with her fingers.

Wenny didn't really want to leave the room, but she knew that perhaps they should. So she nodded slowly, "we can do that if you'd like."

Carl raised an eyebrow at her and then kissed her gently. He stared into her eyes, waiting to see if she would decide if she wanted to go downstairs or not.

She looked at him for a moment, trying to decide what to do. After a few moments, she shook her head slowly and kissed him.

He smiled against her lips as he returned the kiss, putting his hands on her neck.

Wenny continued the kiss as she placed one hand on his chest and the other on the back of his neck.

Carl smiled and began kissing her on her neck again, seeing as he liked the effect it had on her when he did.

As before, she found it difficult to breathe...or even think. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she ran her hands through his hair.

Carl grinned as he felt her hand in his hair. He roamed her neck, placing kisses as he did so.

Wenny pulled back a bit, looked at him for a moment, then began softly kissing his neck, running her hand through his hair as she did so.

Carl grinned as he turned his head slightly to one side. He allowed his hands to roam over Wenny's back and shoulders.

She continued kissing his neck and slowly kissed her way to the other side of his neck. She hoped it made him as crazy as it had made her.

He moved his head to the other side, a smirk forming on his face. "I see how it is," he said as he pushed her back onto the bed playfully, moving a piece of her hair out of her face before kissing her again.

Wenny was very rapidly losing herself in his kisses. She knew it, but she felt powerless to stop it. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to stop it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him closer to her, if it were possible, as she continued the kiss.

Carl deepened the kiss and continued it for a few moments. Then he broke the kiss as he looked into her eyes. "I love you," he said softly.

She reached up and tucked some of his hair behind his ear, "I love you, too."

He smiled and watched her for a moment, then finally leaned in and kissed her again.

Wenny continued the kiss as she let her hands slowly slide from his shoulders down to his lower back.

Carl moved his hand that was on her cheek to the back of her head as he kept his other hand on her waist.

She continued the kiss for a few more moments, then pulled back a bit and looked at him, with one question on her mind.

He played with a strand of Wenny's hair as they laid there, looking at each other for a while. It was as though they both knew what they wanted to do, but weren't sure whether or not they should take that step.

After a few minutes, Carl finally smiled and kissed her again, deepening it as they rolled over on the bed.


	11. Morning After

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Eleven: Morning After**

Carl woke up a while later, hoping it was still pretty early in the morning. He turned over and saw Wenny.

Wenny had woken up a little bit earlier and had been watching him sleep. Normally, she hated waking up in the morning, but this morning was different. _Very_ different. She saw Carl wake up and smiled, "hi."

Carl's smile widened as he saw that she was awake. "Hey," he said quietly as he turned fully to lay on his side.

She reached over and tucked some of his hair behind his ear. It used to only be her own hair that she would tuck behind her ear, but now, she loved tucking his hair back as well. "Sleep well?," she asked with a slight grin.

"Great, actually," he said, smiling over at her. "How about you?" he asked as he reached over and did the same to her, tucking her hair behind her ears and started playing with it.

She smiled shyly and nodded, "same." She put a hand on his cheek and stroked it gently with her thumb. She had never felt this way before, as though her entire life could be spent just lying here with him like this.

"Good," he said as he moved his head and kissed her hand. He didn't want to leave that spot, but he figured someone would come looking for them soon.

Wenny smiled when Carl kissed her hand. She looked towards the window, wondering what time it was. "I guess we should make an appearance downstairs before we get into trouble," she said, blushing a bit. She hoped no one would guess what they had been up to or she'd probably die of embarassment.

He nodded and said, "Agreed." He reluctantly sat up in the bed and stretched. He looked out of the window which was shining pink and orange through the window. It was still pretty early and Carl was thankful. He guessed they were probably starting breakfast about now.

She watched him for a moment, still in awe of the way she was currently feeling, and then reached down off the side of the bed, grabbed her shirt, and put it on before sitting up, blushing a bit.

Carl saw her out of the corner of his eye, blushing himself. He got his jeans off the floor and put them on. He stood up, dragging his shirt over his head. He looked back over at Wenny and smiled as he walked over to her and laid a gentle kiss on her lips.

Wenny smiled up at him and then returned the kiss. She turned and sat on the edge of the bed, keeping the blanket around her, and picked up her jeans, carefully putting them on. She didn't know why she was so modest around him now, but she was.

"I guess one of us should go down stairs a few minutes before the other...," she said. She wanted to avoid all possible suspicion.

Carl nodded in agreement as he pulled on his jacket, leaving his cloak behind, but putting his wand in his jeans. He walked back over to Wenny. "Women first," he said, smiling at her.

She blushed yet again at his comment, then stood up and gave him a soft kiss, "see you in a few." She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She was relieved to find the hallway deserted, and smiled to herself as she walked down stairs. She was still a bit surprised at what they had done, but she didn't regret it. She truly loved him.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both in the kitchen along with the twins and Bill. Remus Lupin and Tonks were also there. Mrs. Weasley saw Wenny and walked over to her and then guided her towards the table. "I was just fixing to come and wake you dear," she said as she gave her plate with some breakfast on it.

Wenny mentally winced at Mrs. Weasley's comment. Had Mrs. Weasley come upstairs a few minutes ago, they could've gotten into major trouble. She simply gave the woman a smile.

Carl leaned up against the wall for a few moments before opening the door. He took off his jacket again and as he was entering the kitchen, he was putting it back on, to make things look less obvious than he felt they were. He walked over to the table on his own as Mrs. Weasley put a plate infront of him. "Hey, Wenny. Sleep good?" he asked, smiling at he as he sat down.

She saw Carl walk in and she tried not to look at him and when she heard his question, she had to fight not to blush. "Yes, I did, thanks," she said, her voice a bit weaker than her usual voice. Pretending that they hadn't just done what they had just done was more difficult than she could imagine. She was certain that anyone could tell just by looking at her. And Carl was not helping the situation.

Carl caught himself from smiling too much as he started eating his breakfast. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Weasley," he said. He noticed that he was gaining stares, but he knew it was for other reasons than he first would have guessed.

Wenny picked at her breakfast, as she wasn't really hungry. Or maybe she was, but was a bit too stressed to eat. She occasionally glanced around at the other people at the table, only two of whom she had met, not counting Carl. But she was trying to avoid looking at him, for fear that the others would be able to tell. She was trying to act normal, but she just knew they were going to be found out and it made her extremely uncomfortable. They were so going to be busted.

Carl looked up from his breakfast at the people around the table. He could tell what they were thinking the second he did. He had started thinking about it again too. "Look, I'm fine. Really," he added when they kept looking at him. "Me and Wenny are both fine and all we want to do is go back to school." He turned to look at Mrs. Weasley. "Has... Professor Snape said anything yet?" he asked her, not sure what to call Snape at first.

Mrs. Weasley frowned. "No, not yet. But I'm sure he'll have something by the end of the day."

Carl nodded and turned back to his breakfast, wishing everyone would stop looking at him and Wenny.

Wenny watched and listened to Carl's comment and conversation with Mrs. Weasley. Which, oddly, relaxed her a bit. Perhaps if they were all distracted with their thoughts and questions about the attack and Carl's 'father' situation, they wouldn't think anything out of the ordinary about their behavior.

She glanced over at Carl and gave him a small reassuring smile.

Carl smiled back at Wenny. He really couldn't be bothered by the things that the others began talking about during breakfast, even if they were about Snape and Rabastan and what had happened to Wenny and himself yesterday. He was too busy thinking of Wenny and smiling at her every now and then.

Wenny sat there, still merely picking at her breakfast, still occasionally glancing around at the other people at the table, and wondering what they would have to do after breakfast ended. Would these people want her and Carl to tell them all the details of the attack and such? Or would they be allowed to go back upstairs?

After a while, she suddenly wondered if they thought she was a mute, since she had barely spoken throughout the entire meal. She turned to Tonks and smiled, "I like your hair." She didn't know how long they would be staying here before going back to school, so she figured she may as well get to know them. Or at least make some kind of conversation.

Tonks had her usual spiky pinky hair. She turned to Wenny and smiled. "Thank you. I've actually been trying to decide on a new color. What do you think?" she asked as she quickly changed her hair to a royal blue.

Carl was deep in conversation with the twins and Lupin about how Wenny and him had gotten to where they were. He could tell they were being careful not to talk about any of the attacks they had.

Wenny laughed, "that is so neat! And I like the blue, but I actually think the pink suits you more. Maybe try purple? Since it's kind of a mix of the two?"

She glanced over at Carl and watched him talking with the twins for a moment and smiled to herself before turning back to Tonks.

Tonks concentrated and quickly turned her hair purple. Then she decided to have some fun and she gave herself a beak.

Carl looked over at Wenny and Tonks and couldn't help but laugh at the beak. He turned back to the twins and Lupin and their conversation changed to Snape and how he was helping the Order.

Wenny had started to tell Tonks that she liked the purple when she saw her nose change. "Oh my gosh...that is even neater than the hair!," she said laughing.

She heard a bit of the conversation the guys were having and she couldn't help but turn her attention to them. Especially since they seemed to be talking about Professor Snape. She hoped that whatever they were telling Carl would help him understand his 'adoption.'

Tonks laughed as she changed the beak back to her normal nose, but kept her purple hair.

Carl found himself in a good mood all during breakfast. After he learned that he wouldn't have to see Snape until they went back to school anyways.

Wenny watched Tonks and laughed, "perfect."

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Wenny was actually able to eat some of her breakfast without feeling so paranoid.

When it seemed most people were finished with breakfast, Wenny went to offer to help Mrs. Weasley with the chores.

Mrs. Weasley just let Wenny help with cleaning up the mess that cooking breakfast had caused. "After this you kids can go back upstairs. There's going to be alot of members from the Order flying in and out of here. And I suggest you keep to upstairs unless you want to be interrogated," she said with a warm smile.

Carl nodded to Mrs. Weasley and turned back to the twins and began discussing some of their ideas for new joke items. Lupin and Mr. Weasley were deep in conversation, careful not to let anyone hear them, which made Carl feel a bit uncomfortable.

Wenny finished helping Mrs. Weasley with the chores and then headed up the stairs. She walked into her room, collapsed on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. She had even more thoughts running through her brain than she had had the day before. Not least of which was the events of the morning. She had never felt so overcome and out of control and, to be honest, it scared her a bit.

Carl's gaze followed Wenny as she left the room. He continued talking with Fred and George for a few minutes. He was surprised that they didn't ask about Snape. They had to leave to go to work, so Carl said goodbye and went upstairs.

He stood infront of Wenny's door. He put his hand up to knock, but then brought it back down. He wondered if she wanted to be alone right now. He wouldn't blame her with how awkward breakfast was. He turned to go into his own room.

Wenny laid there for what felt like ages, just thinking. Thinking about school, her father, the pain of the Cruciatus curse, hiding out in the Order headquarters, Snape being Carl's father, and of course, the events of the morning. She was amazed by how much her life had changed in such a short time and she wondered if she would ever be the same Wenny who used to sit alone under a tree overlooking the Black Lake, drawing for hours at a time. Or the Wenny who would sit out on the grounds after curfew, thinking about her father and life in general. Though, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to being that Wenny.

Her life had turned completely upside down and she knew it was all because of one guy: Carl. And though her life was now crazy and unpredictable, not to mention in danger, she felt truly loved. For the first time in her life. And that made it all ok.

She wondered if Carl was still downstairs, talking to the twins, or whether he had come upstairs. If he had, he hadn't come to get her yet, which she found a bit odd. So she got up, walked across the hall, and knocked on his door.

Carl had sat in his room for a short while before hearing the knock on the door. He felt like his life was just so screwed up right now, but he knew that it could be worse if he had become a death eater. He couldn't even think of all the things that had gone wrong at once. Then again, he couldn't think of all the things that had gone right at one time either. And he knew the only thing keeping him sane was Wenny.

He opened the door. "I love you," he said, the second he saw her standing there. "I really do," he said, smiling at her, leaning against the doorpost.

Wenny was rather surprised by his greeting, so she just stood there looking at him for a moment, trying to understand how she had so suddenly become so lucky to have found him. They had been going to the same school for five years and had probably spoken less than five words to each other the entire time. They hadn't even known each other's names. As she looked at him, she realized that it just hadn't been their time to meet yet. Until that night.

A smile slowly appeared on her lips, "I love you, too."

He smiled at her as he pulled something out of his pocket. "Extendable ears," he said with a smirk. "Fred and George gave them to me. They're supposed to be improved," he said with a shrug. "You up for a little eavesdropping?" he asked with a wicked grin.

Wenny laughed and nodded, "sounds like fun." She hoped they didn't overhear something they didn't want to overhear. However, she knew that was entirely possible, given their situation.

Carl took her hand and led them to the side of the stairs. He dropped the ears downstairs. They heard a few voices straight away. He could make out Mrs. Weasley and Mad Eye Moody. And then he heard _Severus._


	12. Confessions

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twelve: Confessions**

As soon as Wenny heard Professor Snape's voice, she looked at Carl, wondering how he was going to react. She didn't want to say anything, as she didn't want to get them caught, so she simply reached over and put her hand on his arm.

Carl looked down at the ground. He wanted to go down there and yell at Snape and throw a huge fit more than anything. He figured the only way to stop himself from doing that was to go back to his room. So he turned around and headed back, not looking at Wenny.

Wenny saw Carl walk back towards his room and sighed. She was tempted to continue listening to the conversation downstairs, to see if Professor Snape happened to say anything about Carl, but at the same time, she didn't like seeing Carl so upset. She figured he probably needed an ear or a shoulder or perhaps even both, so she walked back to his room. She didn't knock this time, however. She just opened the door slowly and peeked in, "Carl?"

Carl was sitting on the bed as he looked up. "Hey," he said quietly and then looked back to the ground. "Before you say anything, I just needed to come back in here so I wouldn't go downstairs and beat the living hell out of Snape," he said with a sigh.

If Carl hadn't looked so down, Wenny would've laughed at his comment. But she knew he was serious.

She walked over and sat down beside him, "why?" She knew he had his reasons, but she hoped if he heard them outloud, and got them off of his chest, some of the anger might go away.

Carl turned to Wenny and smiled. "Look, I know you're trying to help and thank you. But...it's just that..." He sighed. "I don't know," he finished. He couldn't really bring the words to his mouth that he was feeling. And he didn't want to put his problems on Wenny's shoulders. They weren't hers to deal with, and he hated that he showed his feelings out on his chest the way he did.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, not knowing what else to say or do. She figured that maybe he just needed to be alone for a while, as she had earlier.

She put an arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder for a moment, then stood up and walked towards the door.

"Wenny, please don't leave," he said, standing up and walking towards her. "You're the only one coming between me and Snape. And right now, I need that more than anything," he said, looking at her with playful puppy dog eyes, trying to get her to laugh a little.

She saw his puppy dog eyes and playfully rolled her eyes and laughed. She nodded, "ok," then put her arms around him. After a few minutes, she said "I have no idea what you're going through at the moment, but you know I'm here if you need to talk about it." And she wished he would.

Carl put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I know," he said quietly. "But there's really nothing to talk about. I've just been lied to about who my real father was for seventeen years. It's nothing." He laughed.

Wenny gave him a _that's not funny_ expression, then smirked slightly. "Carl...," she began, but didn't know how to finish. If she simply said 'Snape had his reasons,' he might feel as though she were taking Professor Snape's side and she didn't want that.

"Look, I know you're upset...but keeping it all bottled up inside isn't going to help the situation any," she said quietly.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not going to keep it bottled up inside. The second we get back to school and I see Snape, I'll make sure to let all of my anger out," he said with a smile.

He sighed and suddenly frowned. "I'm scared, Wenny," he said quietly. He couldn't exactly say of what, because he didn't know, but he was.

"That's not quite what I meant," she replied with a slight grin.

She noticed his expression change and heard his confession and frowned. It broke her heart to see him so down...and scared. She wished she could make it ok for him, but she honestly had no idea how.

"It'll be ok, Carl," she replied. It was the only thing she could think to say. She hoped it really would be ok. But even if everything fell apart...well, everything that hadn't already fallen apart...they'd still have each other.

He held onto her closely and put his hand on the back of her head. He decided to tell her what he was feeling. "Wenny, I still feel something. Something in my blood. It scares me." He wondered even after he learned that Rabastan was not his true father why he still felt it.

"Carl, you only think it's in your blood. You were taught to think that your whole life. It's not going to go away in one day," she replied quietly.

"Maybe you're right," he said softly, stroking her hair. At least he hoped she was right. What if he couldn't run away from what he had been taught since he was a child? He didn't want to think about it.

"Of course I am," she replied, grinning slightly. She wasn't as sure as she was trying to sound, but she hoped it might make him smile. She hated seeing him so sad, scared, and confused.

Carl smiled down at her. His smile slowly widened as he bend down and picked her up in his arms, spinning a few times. He gently kissed her as he kept her in his arms.

Wenny laughed as Carl picked her up. She returned the kiss, then said "may I ask what you think you're doing?," grinning.

He smiled as he kissed her again. "Holding you and never letting you go," he said softly.

She gave him a shy smile, and then a soft kiss. As much as she loved him and wanted to be with him again, she wasn't quite ready to risk getting in major trouble. They had gotten away with it once, or so it seemed so far, and she didn't want to push their luck. She decided to lamely tease him a bit instead, "where did you learn all of those sweet things you say to me? Did you go to a special charm school or something?"

He laughed as he walked over to the bed and sat down, holding Wenny in his lap. "We can stay here, right? Just like this," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. He just wanted to hold her. He didn't want to see or think of anyone else.

Wenny nodded, "yeah, we can stay here." She curled up on his lap, with her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she quietly said "I love feeling your arms around me."

He smiled as he kissed the top of her head. "And I love feeling you in my arms," he said softly.

She looked up at him and smiled before leaning up just enough to kiss his jawline. She closed her eyes and nuzzled his neck, wishing she could stay just like that forever.

Carl closed his eyes as he rested his chin on her head. For a moment, he thought he heard someone climbing the stairs, but was glad when he just heard Kreacher mumbling to himself as he passed their room, obviously heading towards the attic.

Wenny heard Kreacher and glanced up at Carl, "maybe I should go back to my room." She didn't want to, of course, but she also didn't want them to get into trouble. They were lucky this time, but next time they heard someone coming up the stairs, it might not just be the house elf. They weren't doing anything wrong, but she was still a bit paranoid about earlier.

"Hey, relax," he said softly. "We're fine. Even if someone does come into the room, we're not doing anything. It's not like they don't already know we're together," he said with a smile.

She glanced towards the door and then back to him. "Maybe you're right," she said, laying her head back on his shoulder. Though, she knew that the people downstairs didn't know just _how_ 'together' she and Carl were.

After a few moments, she said "do you really think we'll be able to go back to school within a day or so?"

He sighed as he rubbed her arm with his hand. "I really hope so," he told her. Part of him did want to. He wanted everything to go back to normal. But part of him wanted to stay there, where he felt safe and could be with Wenny.

"Everything is going to be so different," she said quietly. She had mentioned it before, but it was still on her mind. The fact that they were in different houses, houses that seemed to really dislike each other, well...his moreso than hers. "I guess we can still sneak out and meet each other after curfew, though," she said with a grin.

Carl smiled. "There's always that to look forward to. Just maybe no more ventures into the forest during a full moon," he said, kissing her on the head again. But she was right. Things were going to be different.

Wenny laughed a bit at his comment, remembering the events of that night, "I had forgotten about that." Sure, it was a bit odd that one could forget nearly being killed by a werewolf, but given the rest of what they had been through, it was understandable.

He laughed. "Actually, I had too up until now," he said. When he started to try to remember everything that had happened to them since he met her, his expression changed from happy to sad every few moments. Then he started smiling again as he returned to the present, her in his arms.

Wenny looked up at him and grinned, then watched him as his expression seemed to change, "what were you thinking about just then?"

Carl sighed as he looked down at her, keeping his smile on his face. "Just the past few days," he told her, kissing her on her nose and then grinning at her.

She giggled at the kiss, "they have been quite interesting, haven't they?" And for some reason, she couldn't help thinking that the 'interesting' days weren't over. They just happened to be on a well-deserved break at the moment.

"School life is going to be so boring after all of this," she said, grinning.

He laughed again. "Tell me about it," he said as he turned his head to kiss her neck lightly. All he wanted right now was to not have to talk about anything depressing. He figured they both could use a distraction, but he wasn't going to risk doing what they did that morning and getting caught.

Wenny closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip lightly as she tilted her head back slightly. She was still rather paranoid about them being discovered, but Carl had already rendered her powerless.

Carl grinned as he continued kissing her neck and stroking her hair. He put his hand on the other side of her neck and began rubbing it as he placed light kisses across her neck.

Wenny knew they were heading into dangerous territory, but whenever Carl kissed her as he was doing at that moment, she seemed to lose her self-control. All she could think about was how amazing it felt and how she never wanted it to end.

She knew they should stop, but in order to do so, she had to somehow overcome the power his kisses seem to have over her. Which definitely wasn't an easy task.

Carl grinned as he kept kissing her for a few more moments. He knew what she was thinking, so, very slowly he stopped and then rested his chin on her shoulder, watching her and smiling.

When she felt Carl stop his kisses, she was a bit disappointed, but she knew it was for the best. Without opening her eyes, she waited a moment to regain her composure, then slowly turned to kiss his lips. Only then did she open her eyes and give him a shy smile.

Carl returned the kiss and then smiled back at her. Then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He quickly and gently stood up and sat her on the bed. He stayed standing as he went to the window, facing her. "So I can't wait to get back to school," he said just as the door opened and Mrs. Weasley came in with a plate of sandwhiches. Carl grinned at Wenny and then looked at Mrs. Weasley.

It was taking all of Wenny's strength not to blush ten shades of red at seeing Mrs. Weasley appear so suddenly. She purposely avoided looking at Carl, for she knew it would give them away.

She walked over and took the plate from Mrs. Weasley, hoping upon hope that the lady didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," she said quietly, hoping the nervousness in her voice didn't make the lady suspicious.

"You're very welcome, dear. Now you kids eat up. You both need to regain your stregth." She went back out on the stairs, closing the door behind her.

Carl walked over to Wenny. "You're too tense," he said, grinning at her as he grabbed a sandwhich off of the plate.

"Shut up," she said as she playfully elbowed him. She didn't understand how he could _not_ be tense, knowing how much trouble they could get into if caught. "I can't believe you're so calm about it all," she said, watching him.

"Hey," he said quietly as he looked down at her. "I think we both have enough things to worry about without having to worry about that. It shouldn't be something to worry about anyways."

Maybe he just felt like that because he didn't know who would punish him. He had no real parents now. He wondered what Wenny's parents would do. Maybe that's why she was so worried about it.

Wenny just looked at him, still not sure how he could be so nonchalant about it all. Obviously, this was something that they had totally different thoughts about. She hadn't asked him, but perhaps he had more experience with these kinds of things than she had. That, and the fact that he was a guy.

Carl sighed as he walked back over to the bed and sat down. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It's just, right now, I have too much in my head to truly worry about that." He sighed. He didn't see it as a burden anyways, which made him smile up at her as he sat there.

Wenny sat the plate of sandwiches on a table and walked over and sat on the bed beside Carl. "No, you're right. I can be rather tense when it comes to certain things. I guess I've always been like that," she said quietly. Then she grinned, "you even told me to 'loosen up' the night we met. Remember?"

He grinned and nodded as he remembered them being in the Forbidden Forest. Then he looked up at her. "Then again, that was right before we got attacked by that werewolf. Maybe you're tense for a reason," he suggested.

"You're not helping," she said with a slight laugh. She didn't want to think that her tension was some kind of sign of upcoming trouble, as she truly didn't think they needed any more trouble.

She looked at him with a serious expression. "Part of it is that I've never been in this kind of situation before. I guess you could say I was a bit of a loner," she said quietly.

"Well, you're not anymore," Carl said softly as he stood up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her. "And we'll get through this. Look on the bright side," he said, smiling at her. "At least we're not having to do homework," he said with a grin.

Wenny put her arms around him and smiled up at him. Then rolled her eyes and laughed at his 'homework' comment, "Well, I guess you have a point there."

She looked at him curiously for a moment, suddenly wondering what he had been like before she met him. He had mentioned being friends with the Weasley twins, so he couldn't have been as much of a loner as she had been.

He laughed and reached up, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I like it when you smile," he said, cocking his head only slightly to one side.

She blushed a bit at his compliment, "thank you."

She wanted to ask him what he had been like before she met him, whether he had lots of friends at school, or lots of girlfriends, and all the other basic information. She wasn't sure how to phrase it, though. It came out as "what were you like before...this?"

He smiled as he knew what she wanted to know. "Well, more depressed and depressing than I am now," he said with a smile. He knew that's not what she wanted to know, but he held it out. "Well, you know about my family life," he said with a laugh. "I never could really hang out with the Slytherins very much. The only people I really hung out with were Fred and George." He looked here in the eyes and smiled. "And I never really got close to any of my girlfriends. I've had three, and none of them..." he paused. "None of them were as great as you are," he said, kissing her.

Wenny kissed him back and then grinned, "as if you'd tell me if they were."

"You just have to take my word for it. You trust me, right?" he asked her, against her lips.

"Mmmhmm...," she replied, nodding slightly.

"Good," he said softly as he kept kissing her. "So," he said, pulling away. "I shared my story. What about you?" he asked her.

"Mine isn't nearly as fascinating," she said quietly. She knew he was going to think she was weird or something, but since he told her...she figured it was only fair for her to do the same.

"I...drew a lot," she said, blushing lightly.

Carl smiled at her. "So, the artist within, huh?" he said jokingly. "Artists are beautiful. And you're the most beautiful of them all," he said, stroking her hair again.

She gave him a shy smile. "I was just...shy...still am, I suppose," she added, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're the one who spoke to me, you know," he said, smiling at her and then kissed her on the cheek and then one kiss on her neck to see what she'd do, grinning at her.

"Only because I didn't want to end up sitting in the same spot all night," she said with a laugh.

At his kiss, she closed her eyes and grinned, "I think this is becoming a habit of yours."

"I think it must be. But it's only because I love seeing your reaction," he said, smiling as he kissed her on the neck again.

"You are trying to slowly drive me insane, aren't you?," she said, barely above a whisper, grinning.

"Of course," he said, continuing the kisses on her neck. Then he took her hand and kissed her palm and then the back of her hand. He kissed up her arm and then reached her neck again.

Wenny laughed lightly as she felt Carl kissing her arm, then felt breathless again as he returned to her neck and she felt her other senses fading away.

Carl didn't want to stop, but he felt Wenny becoming vulnerable, so he did. He didn't want to make her feel any more tense than she already was. He put his hands on her neck as he gently kissed her lips.

Wenny continued the kiss for a few minutes and then looked at him, "thank you." It meant a lot to her that he didn't push the issue, since he knew she was still a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

He smiled at her for a moment and then grabbed her hand. "Come on," he said, walking towards the door. "I think it's about time we can go back downstairs."

She nodded and walked with him downstairs, hoping she didn't look as flushed as she felt. She knew it would be a dead giveaway.


	13. Eyes & Lies

**Disclaimer** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirteen: Eyes & Lies**

Carl glanced at her sideways at her and grinned as they entered the kitchen and looked around. Mrs. Weasley was there as usual. Carl thought she needed a break. Moody was the only other one there. _Oh crap,_ he thought once he saw Moody's eye. Moody just turned towards them and smirked. Carl suddenly felt himself blush. _At least Moody hadn't been there that morning,_ he thought.

When Wenny saw Moody smirk at them, she glanced away quickly. If, by some chance, she hadn't been flushed when they came downstairs, she most assuredly was blushing profusely now. She glanced back towards the stairs, seriously considering going back to her room.

Carl looked at Wenny and then quickly away. Moody had turned back to talking to Mrs. Weasley. Carl looked back at Wenny and gave her a look that said, _Please don't freak out._ After all, it didn't look like Moody would just bring it up over dinner or something.

She saw Carl's look and gave him a slight nod, _Ok._ She would stay downstairs and _try_ to act as normal as possible, even though the thought that Moody had seen them creeped her out slightly. Ok, more than slightly.

He knew this was going to be weird, but he sat down at the table anyways. Mrs. Weasley said hello to them and then said she would be right back and went into the other room.

Carl tried not to look at Moody who had turned around, looking at both of them. "Don't worry. I didn't watch," he said gruffly, yet with a kind of friendly laugh.

Hearing Moody's comment, Wenny felt like she could've fainted on the spot. She was sure that all of the color had just drained out of her face. She couldn't think of a time she had been more embarassed. Reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, she hesitantly looked over at Carl. She wondered if he was at all embarassed or if it were just her.

Carl quickly looked up at Moody, trying his best to hide his pink face with his wavy hair. He quickly changed his shocked expression to one of a casual conversationalist. "It's nice to see you again, Professor. When did you get here today?" he asked.

"You know I never got around to teaching, boy. Don't call me Professor. And I've only been here since lunch. I heard you both had a rough few days."

Carl felt himself ease up slightly. He just had to make sure Moody hadn't been there that morning. But he was still embarassed. "Yes, sir. We did."

_Thank Merlin for small miracles,_ Wenny thought when she heard that Moody had only been there since lunch. Otherwise, she probably would've ran straight upstairs and locked herself in her room, vowing never to come out again.

Glancing over at Carl, Wenny was somewhat relieved to see that he seemed to be blushing. She didn't know why it made her feel better, it just did.

She heard Moody's last comment and muttered "you can say that again," without looking up at him.

Mrs. Weasley returned, apparently fixing dinner. "Oh, dears, I forgot to tell you. Professor Snape sent word that you both will be able to return to school tomorrow."

Carl didn't exactly hear the part about going back to school. He noticed how she had said _'sent word'_. She was trying to hide the fact that Snape had actually been there.

When she heard Mrs. Weasley's bit of news, Wenny immediately looked at Carl. She could tell he had noticed what she had: Mrs. Weasley had made it sound as if Professor Snape had simply sent them an owl or something, rather than having been there himself.

"Thank you for letting us know, Mrs. Weasley," she said with a slight smile. She didn't want the lady to think they weren't grateful for her updating them, even though they both knew she wasn't giving them the full story.

"Yes, thank you," Carl said, looking down at the table. He quickly looked back up, putting a smile back on his face, however fake it seemed. He realized he was a bit hungry since he had only had a couple of bites of the sandwich.

Wenny inwardly sighed at Carl's reaction. She wished she knew what to say or do to make this all easier for him. She hated seeing him so upset.

If that creepy old guy hadn't been there, Wenny wouldn't hugged Carl right then. She figured Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have a problem with a simple hug, but it was the fact that Moody had seen them together earlier that bothered her. She didn't want to give the old man even more to think about.

So instead, she reached over and took Carl's hand in hers.

Carl smiled a real smile at Wenny as he held onto her hand. He was actually glad to see that Moody was now conversing with Mrs. Weasley. He wondered who was going to be there for dinner.

Wenny returned the smile, though hers included an unspoken question: _are you ok?_

Wenny's smile and her hand in his made everything seem ok at the moment. He nodded and smiled at her.

Seeing Carl's smile, Wenny felt a rush of empowerment. Or maybe it was loveblind stupidity. Either way, she hoped Carl wouldn't get angry with her. She was just tired of seeing him hurting and no one but her seeming to care.

She turned to Mrs. Weasley, "excuse me, Mrs. Weasley? What exactly did Professor Snape say when he was here earlier?"

Carl couldn't help but grin at Wenny's boldness. In fact, he had to stop himself from laughing.

Mrs. Weasley quickly turned around in shock at first. Then she simply sighed. "He told us some things that the Order needed to know, including the information about where you two stand with the death eaters. But don't worry about that now."

Wenny noticed Carl's reaction and gave him a shy smile before turning back to Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm not trying to be rude, Mrs. Weasley, but we've done practically nothing _but_ worry for the past few days now. I'd really like to be filled in on where we 'stand with the Death Eaters.' And don't worry, we've somehow managed to survive three attacks and being crucio'ed, so I believe we'll be able to handle whatever it is that Professor Snape told you," she replied.

Carl was shocked at Wenny's outburst of boldness, but he had to agree with her. "Mrs. Weasley, I agree. I think we have the right to know," he said quietly.

Mrs. Weasley sighed again. "What Professor Snape knows is that the Death Eaters are currently preoccupied as of now. It doesn't mean that they have completely given up. But he believes that it is safe for both of you to return to school."

Wenny was curious to ask what the Death Eaters were 'preoccupied' with, but she figured if she continued to question Mrs. Weasley, she would wear out her welcome very quickly. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

She looked at Carl with a proud smile.

Mrs. Weasley quickly continued her preparation for dinner and conversing with Moody.

Carl was smiling widely and nodding in approval.

Now that they knew a little more of the situation, Wenny didn't feel quite as helpless. Even though it seemed they were ok at the moment, it had still been a horrible feeling to not know what was going on.

She wondered if whatever the Death Eaters were 'preoccupied' with involved them in any way, even indirectly, but she figured they would find that out soon enough. Whether or not they wanted to.

Wenny grinned at Carl, then leaned over and whispered, "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

Before Wenny could lean back, Carl caught her lips with his, glad that Moody and Mrs. Weasley were both facing the stove on which Mrs. Weasley was guiding her wand, stirring food.

Wenny glanced over at Moody and Mrs. Weasley, then grinned at Carl and returned the kiss. She had to stifle a laugh at the situation, them kissing not five feet away from the two adults.

He grinned at her and then looked over at Mrs. Weasley and Moody. Mrs. Weasley turned around and said, "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

The next few minutes, Mr. Weasley, the twins, Lupin, and Tonks came and started talking in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley began putting plates down and they started eating.

As she had done earlier in the day, Wenny talked to Tonks...as she was the only female close to Wenny's age and Wenny was fascinated by her abilities and her spunkiness. Every once in a while, she would glance over at Carl to see what he was up to.

Carl talked with the Fred, George, and Lupin during diner. Carl wasn't paying attention half the time as he kept looking over at Wenny.

When they were done eating, Mrs. Weasley began cleaning up. As she did so she told them, "Lupin will be guiding you both back to school tomorrow, so I suggest you get some rest."

Carl nodded and yawned. "Thank you for diner, Mrs. Weasley. And actually, sleep sounds good." He told goodnight to everyone in the kitchen and then winked and smiled at Wenny as he passed her, going up the stairs.

Wenny saw Carl leave and smiled to herself as she turned back to Tonks and talked to her for a few more minutes. Finally, she thanked Mrs. Weasley for dinner, said goodbye to the others and headed upstairs herself.

She went in her own room and sat down, thinking about what it was going to be like to be back at school after all that had happened the past few days.

Carl heard Wenny come up the stairs and go into her room. He sighed as he laid back on the bed, his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. He wondered if he should go see Wenny. He wondered if she would want to see him even though they had spent the entire day together, not to mention the past few days too. But this was their last night there.

Wenny sat there thinking for a while about how things might change. She and Carl might not see each other much except maybe after classes, on weekends, and if they snuck out after curfew. What if they grew apart?

With that thought in mind, she quietly walked over to his room and knocked on the door.

Carl quickly jumped off the bed and went to the door. He opened it to see Wenny. "Hey," he said quietly, smiling at her.

"Hey," she replied quietly, then put her arms around him. "I don't want things to change." She knew she had told him that once before, but now she meant it more than ever.

Carl put one arm around her and then brought her more into the room and closed the door. He put his hand on her cheek. "I don't want things to change either," he said quietly. "But on the bright side, we're not currently running from Death Eaters," he said with a grin.

Wenny smiled a bit, "true." She looked at him for a moment, "we're going to have to promise to sneak out after curfew as often as we can." She knew it wouldn't be every night, because if they were ever caught out of their dorms, particularly given their current situation, they would be in major trouble. And she didn't even want to think about the danger. But she couldn't stand the thought of not being around him all the time.

"Well, of course we are," he said, smiling at her. "I wouldn't even go back to school if it meant not seeing you." He kissed her and then bent down and picked her up again. He walked over to the bed and sat down, holding her in his arms. "I'll never let you go, Wenny," he said softly.

Looking at Carl, Wenny wondered if he could possibly be more perfect. "I love you _so_ much," she whispered as she gave him a soft kiss and then put her head on his shoulder. Even though they were rather young, she knew that Carl was the only person she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.

"I love you 'so much' too," he said softly as he laid his head against hers. He had really never felt this way about anyone, and the more he thought about it, the more he loved the feeling.

"You know, we're not even going to be able to eat our meals together," she said after a few moments. She wasn't purposely trying to be depressing, but the whole school situation was on her mind. She definitely wasn't looking forward to going back, even though she really liked being at Hogwarts. Things had changed now. There was something, or some_one_ rather, that she liked even more.

"Hey, it'll be ok," he said, stroking her hair. "There's always weekends and sneaking into the Room of Requirement after classes," he told her. He had used that room with Fred and George a few times, when they were working on a few new 'products.'

"I suppose you're right," she replied, "I'll try not to worry about it too much." She closed her eyes, then realized what he said and looked up at him, "you've been in the Room of Requirement?" She had heard about that room, but hadn't ever actually been in it, or even really knew anyone who had actually been in it before.

He nodded. "Sure. It's really not that great. But that could just be because when I went in there, we were using it as a storecubbard for some of Fred and George's newly found joke items," he said with a laugh.

"Ahh, I see...," she said with a slight laugh. "I guess that'll work then," she added. It would have to work, as they were in two different houses and really didn't have any alternatives. She yawned and closed her eyes again. "Would you mind if I stayed over here tonight?," she asked, hiding a slight grin. She knew he wouldn't mind.

"Well...I don't know," Carl said sarcastically. "Of course you can stay here tonight," he said, smiling and kissing the top of her head.

"Well, I just thought I'd be polite and ask. Though, had you told me to leave, I would've fought you on it," she said, looking up at him with a smirk.

He grinned and started tickling her at her sides. "Leave, I want you to leave," he said, laughing. "What are you waiting for? I said get out," he said, still tickling her.

Wenny laughed and wriggled around, trying to grab his hands. "Stop! Carl!" She finally grabbed his hands and laughed, "You better stop, or I really will leave. And you'll be in here alllll alone...with no Wenny to keep you company." She playfully frowned at him.

"Alright, I'll stop," he said, smiling. He brought up his hands that she was holding and kissed her hands.

"Thank you," she said with a grin, then giggled a little as he kissed her hands. Still holding his hands, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

Carl returned the kiss, smiling against her lips. He leaned back on the bed, bringing her with him.

Wenny looked up at him, turning to rest her chin on his chest. "You know, I've been thinking...," she started with a grin, "we should just change our names and run away. We could just go from place to place." Of course, she was kidding for the most part, but she had actually enjoyed their time 'on the run.' Except for the attacks, of course.

Carl smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her. "Wenny, what about your father? You still have a family," he told her quietly.

She frowned, "Some family. I bet he hasn't even realized that I've been missing for the past however many days." As depressing as it seemed, she was probably right.

"Well, I'm sure Dumbledore didn't tell him about it. But how would he know? You are supposed to be at school anyways," he said, bringing up his hand and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I guess so..but still...," she said begrudgingly. She knew he had a point and was probably right, but she also knew that even if her father had known she had run away from school, he may not have even cared. Especially since he probably knew Carl's father.

"Hey," he said quietly, putting his hand on her cheek and kissing her gently. "You know, when we first left, you were all sad about leaving. Now you don't even want to go back," he said, smiling at her.

"Well, it's all your fault," she replied with a playful pout, which quickly turned into a grin.

"Well, I happily take the blame," he said. He yawned and suddenly realized how tired he was, which surprised him slightly.

Wenny saw Carl yawn and reached up to touch his cheek. "Awwww...somebody's sweeeepy," she said with a giggle. She then laid her head down on his chest and smiled, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

He laughed and then put one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head. He rested his chin on her head.

She reached up and put one hand on his chest and closed her eyes. "I want to stay right here with you forever," she said, yawning.

Carl began stroking her hair. "Me too, Wenny. Me too," he said softly as he felt his eyelids beginning to get heavy.

Wenny yawned once more, said "night," and then felt herself falling into a peaceful sleep.

"Goodnight, Wenny," he said quietly as he closed his eyes and after awhile, fell asleep.


	14. Father & Son

**Disclaimer**All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fourteen: Father & Son**

The next morning, Wenny slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. Remembering she was still with Carl, she carefully leaned up a little and kissed one cheek, then the other, and ended with a gentle kiss on his lips. She waited to see if it would wake him up.

Carl woke up on the second kiss on his cheek and caught her lips as she kissed him and continued it for a moment. "Good morning," he said quietly.

"Heyyy, you weren't supposed to do that," she said, grinning.

He laughed as he rolled over on the bed, looking down at Wenny on her back. He kissed her gently again, laying his hand on her cheek.

"You weren't supposed to do that either," she added with a slight laugh, then returned the kiss.

"Well, I just can't do anything right, can I?" he asked, smiling at her as he tucked her hair behind her ear again.

"Well, you made me love you," she replied with a smirk, "so that's something."

He smiled as he kissed her again. He sighed as he remembered that they were leaving for school that day.

Wenny noticed the sigh and looked at him, "what? Making me love you isn't good enough? I'm hurt." She tried to keep a straight face, while pretending to be offended.

He let out a small laugh as he rolled over on the bed, laying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He rolled over on his side after a moment and looked at Wenny. "You think Malfoy would notice if he sees you in the Slytherin common room with me?" he asked with a laugh.

"Nah, I'm sure he's used to seeing Hufflepuffs in there," she replied with a laugh. Even though they were trying to make the best of the situation, she knew that being confined to the Hufflepuff common room and the Hufflepuff table was going to almost be like being confined in Azkaban.

"You know what?," she asked, looking up at him.

Carl looked over at her after he laughed at her reply. He cocked his head curiously as he rested it on his propped up arm. "What?" he asked her.

"For the first time, I wish my father had gotten his wish, that I had've been sorted into Slytherin," she replied seriously.

He wasn't sure what to say to that. "Come on," he said, quickly standing up off the bed and grabbing her hand to do the same. "We need to get out of here. At least before we go back to school."

Wenny stood up, watching him curiously. "Do you mean 'out of here,' as in...out of the _headquarters?_," she asked.

He nodded at her. "Yeah. I'm tired of being stuck in this place. It's so depressing. We both need to get out of here and get our minds on other things. Just for a bit. We'll be back before Mrs. Weasley even notices we're gone," he said with a grin, grabbing his jacket and opening the door.

She watched him for a moment, then grinned, "ok. Let's go." She took his hand and snuck downstairs, glancing around for any sign of any of the Order members. Mrs. Weasley in particular. Not seeing any of them, Wenny very quietly opened the front door and walked out.

Carl walked out with her and breathed in the fresh air. "A day inside that place can really get to your head," he said, stretching and then putting his arm around her waist as they began walking, the house disappearing behind them.

"Yeah, really," Wenny agreed. After a moment, she turned to him with a slight grin, "so...any idea of where we're going?" Not that it mattered to her, but she was a bit curious.

Carl looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know. Just felt like a walk I guess," he told her. "Anywhere you want to go in particular?" he asked.

"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter. Awwww...," she said, laughing. She looked at him, "hmm...well, we _could_ go to Diagon..." Of course, that would take them a bit further than the Order would probably like them to be going alone, but as long as they were careful, it might be ok.

"Sure," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Wherever you like," he said, starting to walk down the sidewalk. They turned the corner and Carl ran into a tall, dark figure. He looked up and saw none other than Severus Snape.

Wenny saw who they had just ran into and was rather shocked to see Professor Snape. Stealing a quick glance at Carl, she turned back to Professor Snape, "Oh, um...hi, Professor...," she said, not sure of what else to say. She looked back at Carl to see his reaction.

Carl just looked at Snape in shock until he spoke. "You both are fools. What are you thinking?" Snape asked as he looked from Carl to Wenny.

Carl began glaring at him as he felt a rush of anger. "It was my idea, Professor," he said, keeping his gaze on him.

Wenny cleared her throat. "Well, um, we just needed some air...that house is rather stuffy after a while," she said quickly, trying to offer some kind of explanation and avoid a confrontation between the two. Though, she figured it was probably going to happen with or without her weak explanations. She just hoped it wouldn't get too violent.

"Silence," Snape said roughly as he glared at Carl, and Carl glared right back. "I think Mrs. Weasley might want to know that you both are safe, even if it means revealing yourself as fools," he said. "Go on," he added, motioning for them to turn around and go back.

Carl nodded. "Yes, _Professor_," he said, still glaring at the man. He finally turned around and started walking back. He felt like pulling out his wand and hexing Snape, but he knew he'd get in so much trouble. Maybe he didn't care.

Wenny turned around to start walking back, but felt that familiar rush of 'boldness' popping up again, but she was trying to fight it, as she didn't want to create more problems. Mrs. Weasley may have simply answered her question, but Professor Snape was sure to respond a bit more harshly. She glanced over to Carl with an _I want to say something, can I please?_ look.

Carl had been glaring the whole time until he looked over at Wenny. He saw the expression on her face and couldn't help but grin. He nodded slightly as Snape followed closely behind them.

Wenny saw Carl's nod and took a deep breath before turning to face Professor Snape. "Professor Snape, we will be glad to go back in that house and 'reveal ourselves as fools' if you so wish...but, before we do that, while it's just us out here, I think you should at least _acknowledge_ the fact that Carl is your son."

She glanced over to Carl a little more unsure this time, as Professor Snape was hardly as tolerant as Mrs. Weasley.

Carl very slowly turned around and looked up at Snape, not glaring at him for he began feeling a new emotion towards Snape, _fear._ Not of the man himself or what he might do to them, but more of whether he actually would acknowledge it.

Snape just looked at Wenny. "He is no son of mine if he acts a fool," he said and then brushed past them.

Carl just looked down at the ground and then turned around again to follow Snape, not knowing what to say or think.

Wenny stared after Professor Snape, in wide-eyed shock then caught up to him. "With all due respect, Professor, which to be honest, isn't very much at the moment, I hardly think he, or I, was acting a fool. And I must say that I have always admired you, but if you are so easy to dismiss your own son because he wanted to take a walk...I no longer do so."

Carl had to supress a laugh. It was amazing how Wenny could make him laugh even at times like this.

Snape stopped and turned around towards them. "You think that phases me?" he said, leaning towards her. "I'm used to losing admiration." He turned back around and started walking away again.

Carl didn't follow him. "Don't worry about it Wenny," he said, loudly so Snape could hear him. "He doesn't have a heart. He never did."

At Snape's words, Wenny blurted out "I'm not surprised." Honestly, the nerve of that man!

She then turned to Carl and put her arms around him, "I'm sorry."

Carl put one arm around her and put her head to his chin. "I can't really blame him I guess," he said quietly as Snape kept walking. "I mean, it can't be exactly easy for him. It's not easy for me. Then again, he did abandon me and not tell me for six years while I knew him at Hogwarts," he said as he started walking again, glaring at Snape's back.

"But still," Wenny said, "he didn't have to say what he said." What was it with parents nowadays? Don't any parents actually _love_ their children anymore?

"I know, and I'm sorry...I wish there was something I could do," she said quietly. She had tried...and had failed...to get Snape to acknowledge Carl.

"Perhaps it's just going to take some time," she suggested. It was the only thing she could think of. Maybe, with time, both Snape and Carl would be able to acknowledge each other for what they were: father and son.

"Maybe," he said. "But you know, I could care less. Fathers are overrated. You're all I need," he said, hugging her at his side. If Snape wasn't going to say anything, than neither was he.

If Wenny hadn't thought the same thing about her own father, she would've told Carl not to say that. But the truth was, as far as she was concerned, he was right. Her father had nearly disowned her because of what a stupid old hat said. And she had actually lived with him for the first eleven years of her life.

She looked up at him and nodded, then put her arm around his waist and her head on his shoulder.

Carl kissed the top of her head as they reached headquarters again. _Mrs. Weasley is going to be furious,_ he thought. The house appeared and Snape turned to look at both of them and opened the door. "You two go back upstairs," he said. "Quietly," he added as he motioned for them to go inside.

Carl just looked at him, confused for a moment. He was helping them to not get in trouble. He finally nodded and went inside with Wenny. Snape closed the door after them and waited awhile before knocking.

When they were safely in Carl's room, Wenny looked at him. "Well...that was interesting. What happened to 'revealing ourselves as fools'?," she asked with a slight grin. Maybe there was hope for the two to accept one another after all.

Carl shrugged as he sat down on the bed, looking down at the ground. "I don't know," he said quietly while he wondered why Snape had done that. For the first time seeing Snape after learning was his father, Carl thought he had done a rather good job at controlling his temper. Next time, he might not be so lucky.

Wenny watched Carl and walked over and sat down beside him. For a few minutes, she didn't quite know what to say. She knew he was taking the situation rather hard and she was trying her best to help, though she wasn't exactly skilled in such matters.

"Is there something bothering you?," she asked, "besides the obvious?" She hoped he'd talk to her.

He looked at her and smiled. "No. Not besides the obvious," he told her. "Please don't worry about it," he said quietly. When he knew that she was worried about him, it made him worry about her too on top of everything else.

Wenny watched him for a moment and sighed. She wished Carl would talk to her, but she couldn't force him to. She hated that he thought he had to worry about it on his own, though. "Carl, I wish you would talk to me about the stuff that is bothering you."

Carl turned to her and grabbed her hands. "You know what's bothering me. It's Snape. Everything about him just makes me want to throw something." He sighed and looked away.

"Well, then throw something. Or at least tell him, or anyone, exactly how you're feeling. Get it out of your system," she said, "it's not doing you any favors just staying bottled up inside."

"When I'm around you, it is," he said quietly, looking down at the ground. He was afraid what would happen if he let out his anger about Snape when he was with Wenny. He really didn't think anything would, but when his anger consumed him, he was like a totally different person, a person whom he feared.

"Carl, please don't say that," Wenny said quietly, watching him. She knew what he was thinking. Something along the lines of what he thought when he found it so easy to crucio the Death Eaters. That he was some kind of uncontrollable monster or something.

She turned to him and took his face in her hands. "Carl, it's when you don't let your anger out that it builds and becomes uncontrollable, can't you see that?" She looked at him for a moment. "I'm not scared of you. You don't need to be either."

Carl reached up to hold onto her hands, closing his eyes. "Wenny, please," he said quietly. He began forgetting all about Snape and was once again overcome by Wenny's touch on his face. He knew that the second he got back to school an saw Snape again, his anger really would blow up. And maybe part of him wanted that. But right now, all his anger was forgotten.

She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, then put her forehead to his. "I wish I knew what to say or do...to make everything better for you," she said quietly.

He smiled at her and put his hand on the back of her neck. "Just be here with me," he said softly. "That's all you have to do to make everything better."

"I don't think you could get rid of me if you tried," she replied with a slight grin.

"I wouldn't want to anyways," he told her, stealing a kiss from her lips.

"Good," Wenny said, returning the kiss. Carl hadn't exactly talked through his anger, but at least he seemed to be in a somewhat better mood, which made her feel a little better.

He smiled as he continued the kiss for a moment. He thought that they might need to go downstairs, but he didn't want to see Snape again. He figured Mrs. Weasley would get them when they needed to leave. "You know what? If Moody's here..." he trailed off, grinning at her.

Wenny let out a small laugh, "Ugh, I don't even want to think about Moody." She still wasn't over him smirking at them the previous day. And if he had been there all morning...not that they had done anything. "That guy creeps me out," she said with a slight grin.

He laughed. "You know, I bet he uses that eye of his like that all the time," he said. He laughed again. "Perverted old man."

"That's really not something I want to think about," Wenny replied with a laugh, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Carl laughed and then cocked his head to one side. "You know, you are so beautiful," he said quietly.

Wenny felt herself blushing. She looked at him for a moment, with a shy smile. "Thank you," she replied quietly.

He smiled at her and then kissed her softly on the lips, his hands on her cheeks.

Copying what he had done earlier, she put her hands on his and continued the kiss.

"I love you," he said softly against her lips. She really was the only reason that he had not gone downstairs and thrown a spell or a random object at Snape's head yet.

Wenny smiled, "good, 'cause I just happen to love you, too." She continued the kiss for a few more minutes, then looked at him. "About how much longer do you think we'll be here?"

Carl shrugged. "I would think we would leave pretty early. You think we should go downstairs?" he asked her, one of his hands still on her cheek.

She shook her head slightly and put one of her hands on his cheek, "I'm not sure, but I'd rather stay up here with you."

He smiled. "Same here," he said as he leaned in and kissed her again, putting his other hand back on her cheek.

Wenny continued the kiss. She loved his kisses. Sometimes, it was as if she could never get enough.

She broke the kiss and looked at him for a second, with a slight grin. Then stood up, and sat on his lap, putting her arms around his neck and picked up where she left had off.

After Wenny sat on his lap, Carl grinned against her lips as he continued their kiss. He then smirked before starting to kiss her neck again.

Wenny laughed lightly as she tilted her head to the side. "You really want to get us in trouble, don't you?," she whispered.

He smiled as he continued kissing her neck. "As long as Snape doesn't come in here, I'm fine," he said with a laugh.

"What about Moody?," she asked with a laugh, her voice getting breathier from his kisses.

He laughed. "Snape would be worse at the moment. Besides that and Moody's already practically walked in on us as it is," he said, continuing to gently kiss her neck, starting to kiss up towards her ear.

Wenny merely nodded and bit her bottom lip lightly, as she now found herself unable to speak. Had her senses not been floating away from her, she may have been a bit more paranoid regarding Carl's comment about Moody. As it was, however, she didn't care as long as Carl continued to kiss her.

Carl smirked. "You look so cute like that," he said quietly, not stopping the kisses. He loved having this effect on her.

She smiled slightly and reached up and put a hand on the back of Carl's neck.

"You want me to stop?" he asked her, still smirking and kissing her neck under her jaw.

Wenny wasn't sure how exactly he expected her to answer that question, as she could barely breathe at the moment. Did she want him to stop? No. Did she want to get caught like this by one of the Order members or have Moody smirk at them again? No.

As much as she didn't want to get in trouble, she just couldn't pull herself away from him yet.

He grinned. "I take that as a no," he said quietly as he began kissing the other side of her neck. One hand was on the back of her head and the other was on her cheek.

She grinned at his comment. She was losing herself again, as was so easy to do around him. Especially when he kissed her as he was doing now.

"Are we going to have to talk about your insane addiction to me, Wenny?" he asked jokingly. "Because I think we might have to talk about my addiction to you," he said between his kisses.

She smirked and glanced at him, letting herself enjoy his kisses for a few more moments. Then, regrettably, pulled back a bit and looked at him, placing a hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before kissing him gently on the lips.

She hated ending it there, but she really didn't want to get into trouble. And she didn't like the thought of Moody possibly being within viewing distance either.

He smiled at her. "It's alright. We should probably head downstairs anyway," he told her, looking in her eyes, as he didn't want to take his gaze off of her.

"Yeah, I...I guess so...," she said, still regaining her senses, though she didn't move.

He grinned at her as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and then gave her one soft kiss on the lips before he planned to stand up, which never happened as he just continued staring into her eyes. This girl captivated him.

Wenny continued looking in his eyes for a few moments more, then slowly nodded before leaning in to kiss him. Call her crazy, but she couldn't help herself.

"I told you that you were addicted," he teased as he returned the kiss. He stood up and brought her with him in his arms.

Wenny grinned, "At least I'm not the only one."

"You're right. You're not," he said with a laugh, kissing her again. He knew they should be going back downstairs, but he really didn't want to.

Wenny draped her arms around Carl's neck and continuing the kiss for a few minutes. "Well, I guess we should be going...," she said with a slight grin. Though, she was beginning to think they weren't going to be able to leave anytime soon.

"Yeah, we should," he said, smiling at her before kissing her again. "We really should be going," he said, with another kiss. "I mean, we really should," he added, kissing her once more and then starting to laugh.

Wenny laughed during and between the kisses, then she took his hands in hers. "You're right, we really should," she said with a laugh before kissing him once more. She reached up and tucked some of his hair behind his ears and grinned, "Come on, loverboy." She pulled him over to the door, then gave him one more kiss before opening the door.

"Aww, do we have to?" Carl complained. He laughed and finally went out the door with Wenny and they headed downstairs.

Wenny laughed as they walked down the stairs. "You're cute when you whine," she said, glancing over at him with a grin.

"Well, I'll just have to whine more, won't I?" he teased as he grabbed her hand and held onto it as they continued towards the kitchen.

"Uh huh," Wenny said with a slight giggle, as they entered the kitchen.


	15. Back To School

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifteen: Back To School**

As Wenny and Carl walked into the kitchen, Wenny wasn't surprised to see that all of the usuals were there. Lupin, Tonks, Fred, George, Moody, and Mrs. Weasley. But this time, Severus was still present. When Wenny saw him, she quickly glanced away, not sure whether or not he would still be upset at them from this morning.

Carl caught Snape's gaze and held it for a moment as they walked to the table and Carl sat down with Wenny. "What is he doing here?" he muttered angrily to Wenny. He sighed as he looked to Lupin. "Professor, do you know when we're leaving?"

Lupin looked nervously at Snape and then Carl. "Actually, Professor Snape will be taking you both." Carl felt his teeth clenched as he nodded and looked down at the table.

Wenny looked between the three men. She squeezed Carl's hand and gave him a slight smile before turning to Lupin. "But I thought you were going to be taking us, Professor?," she asked. "Not that there's anything wrong with Professor Snape taking us," she added quickly. Not wanting to possibly upset him any more than she had that morning.

"Well, Professor Snape is already here. I would gladly take you, but Molly just won't have it when Severus is here."

Mrs. Weasley turned around. "It would just be silly," she said.

Carl just kept his gaze to the table as he held onto Wenny's hand.

"Oh, well...ok then...," she said, glancing over to Mrs. Weasley. She then turned to Professor Snape, "Professor, may I ask what time we'll be leaving?"

"Very shortly. It may be a Saturday, but that doesn't mean I don't have work to do," Snape said, without looking at her.

Carl just realized what day it was when Snape said it. He must've lost track of the days since they'd been gone.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of stuff to keep you occupied today and probably tomorrow, as well," Wenny replied to Snape. She glanced over to see Mrs. Weasley frowning at her. "Sorry," she said quietly and looked back down at the table.

She would just have to somehow get the two guys to talk on the way back to the school. She looked over at Carl and gave him a small smile.

Carl tried his best to supress his laugh, but doing so resorted in a snort. He blushed as he looked from Mrs. Weasley to Wenny and smiled at her.

Wenny heard Carl's snort and looked over at him with a grin. She held onto his hand and rested their hands on her knee under the table. She glanced around to the others sitting at the table, trying not to smile.

Carl glanced over at Wenny and smiled. He wasn't sure he was up to traveling all the way back to Hogwarts with Snape, but knew he really didn't have a choice.

The rest of the meal went by fairly uneventful and before they knew it, Professor Snape was ushering them out the door. Wenny made sure to say a quick goodbye to Tonks before they left.

As they were leaving, Wenny took Carl's hand again. She knew he would need all the reassurance he could get for the trip back to Hogwarts. She wasn't entirely over her worries of how different things would be, but at the moment, her focus was to try to get Carl and Professor to at least acknowledge each other.

Carl glanced sideways at Wenny as they were walking and smiled at her. He looked at Snape who was walking infront of them. _"Professor,"_ he started. Everytime he said 'professor' now, it seemed to be more sarcastic than before. "Would you mind telling us exactly how we're getting there?"

"Yes, I would," Snape answered, without looking back at them. Carl just rolled his eyes and glared at him.

Wenny winced and looked at Carl when she heard Snape's reply. She wasn't sure what to say to that one without _really_ upsetting Professor Snape and given their current circumstances, that would probably not be a very smart thing to do.

So, for the moment at least, she chose to try to preoccupy Carl. "Any ideas on how we should spend our first weekend back at school?"

"A few," he said with a slightly smirk. He laughed. "I don't know. We could always go to the lake or something," he suggested, not really even thinking as he kept his gaze on Snape. Why did he even have to be related to this guy?

Wenny blushed a bit and laughed, then gave Carl a playful glare. "Yeah, the lake sounds good...," she said, trying to keep the conversation light.

"Professor, since you won't tell us exactly how we're getting back to school...perhaps you'll tell us about how long it's going to take?," Wenny asked, not really caring...but trying to get him to at least speak to them.

"About half an hour to Diagon Alley," Snape said as he continued walking a few feet ahead of them.

Carl rolled his eyes. He was so close to just pulling out his wand and finding his own way back to Hogwarts with Wenny.

Wenny noticed Carl and tried not to laugh. "Oh, ok...that's not bad then, I suppose," Wenny replied to Professor Snape. She was tempted to just apparate Carl and herself to Diagon, just to shake Snape up a bit. But since she was unlicensed...AKA illegal...she figured she'd better play it safe. It would've been amusing to see Snape sweat, though.

"So, Professor...since we've kind of been...um...on the run for our lives, do you think we might get an extention on our exams...?" Sure, her questions may not have been top quality questions, but she was trying.

"No," Professor Snape said simply.

Carl rolled his eyes again. "_Professor Snape,_ how much homework do we have to makeup?" he asked, maybe a little too sarcastic. "And _Professor_, are we going to have to make up classes? And what about.." he said, but Snape cut him off.

Snape turned around quickly. "You will have to do the same amount of work as the rest of the students, including makeup work." He turned back around and started walking again.

"Come on, Professor Snape, have a little heart, will you? Your own _son_ could've been killed by the Death Eaters and all you can think of is our homework?" Wenny watched the Professor closely for any response to that remark.

"He's alive, isn't he? And he hasn't been my son for seventeen years, so why start now."

This surprised Carl, that he even said anything about it, and he jumped at the opportunity. "I haven't been your son because _you_ chose to not be my father!" he yelled furiously at him.

Wenny looked at Carl, then at Professor Snape, waiting for some kind of reaction. Carl was right. Technically, for whatever reasons he may have had, Severus Snape gave Carl up. That was not Carl's decision and it wasn't right for Professor Snape to make it seem like it was.

"Yes, he's alive Professor. No thanks to you," she retorted strongly. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Professor, this...this guy right here is an amazing person that you would be proud to call you son, if you'd take the time to even acknowledge his existance," she said quietly. "We know you had your reasons, and we're not blaming you," she glanced over at Carl at this, "but can you please work with us here? It's not exactly an easy situation for Carl either."

Wenny felt like she was way over her head. Why wouldn't the man at least acknowledge Carl? Could he really be that heartless?

Before Snape could say anything, Carl had to say something else. "You know what, Sir? I noticed that after I found out, you suddenly turned into an insane son of a bitch. It wasn't like this before I knew."

Snape took a deep breath. Carl could tell that he didn't like this situation, and it made him happy to see him squirm. "Carl is my son. Happy? I acknowledged it."

"Well, I guess it'll have to do," Wenny said simply, "and thank you, Professor." She glanced between them, "I don't suppose you might actually look in his direction now?"

Snape glanced quickly at Carl before turning back around and beginning to walk again. Carl could've sworn that he had seen a smile, or at least something close to it. Carl just watched him for a moment before grinning slightly and started to walk again. "Thank you," he whispered to Wenny.

Wenny smiled at seeing Carl smile. "You're welcome," she whispered back to him, taking his hand in hers. It wasn't quite the father-son-embracing reunion that you see in muggle movies, but considering the involved parties, it was quite a good start in her opinion.

As they walked, Carl didn't look at Snape. He didn't know why, but it was like he couldn't. He held onto Wenny's hand, never wanting to let go.

While they walked the rest of the way to Diagon Alley, Wenny's mind was filled with thoughts of how she could get Professor Snape and Carl to at least begin to be civil to each other. She knew it would take a while, but she wanted to get on it right away.

When they finally arrived in Diagon, Wenny glanced around, remembering the last time they were there. The circumstances had been a bit different, but they actually had a bit more fun. At the moment, it felt somewhat solemn, simply following along behind Professor Snape. Wenny decided to do something about it and leaned over and gave Carl a quick kiss on the cheek.

Carl looked over at her quickly and smiled. He grabbed her hand with his other hand and then put his arm around her waist. He kissed the top of her head and smiled down at her.

Wenny put her arm around Carl's waist, giving him a quick smile before turning to Professor Snape. "Professor...where exactly are we headed?," she asked, then added, "and don't say 'Hogwarts'."

"Hogsmeade," Snape replied, without looking back at them. "We'll walk to Hogwarts from there."

They walked into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Snape led them into the back room and handed them each a handful of floo powder.

Wenny rolled her eyes at Snape's answer. She supposed he wasn't so scary once you got used to him.

Once in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Wenny took the offered floo powder, threw it in the fireplace, stepped in, and said "Hogsmeade." A few brief moments later, she was stepping out of a fireplace somewhere in Hogsmeade. She stepped to the side a bit and waited for the guys, wondering if Carl would make it unscathed this time. A thought that made her grin.

Carl stepped in the fireplace. Before he dropped the floo powder in, Snape said, "I'm sorry." Carl wasn't sure of what to say, so he threw in his floo powder and said, "Hogsmeade." He landed on his feet. He would've been surprised at that if it wasn't for what had just happened. He stepped out of the fireplace and smiled at Wenny, pretending nothing happened.

Wenny grinned and put her arms around Carl when he appeared, "finally." Of course, not only was she talking about him arriving, but him arriving and not falling or stumbling in some way.

Carl laughed. "Yeah," he said quietly, putting his own arms around her. Snape appeared in the fireplace, and Carl pretended to be too absorbed in Wenny to look at him. Snape led them out of Hogsmeade and they started making their way back to Hogwarts.

Wenny, being the observant person she was, could tell that _something_ was different, she just didn't know _what._ She watched Snape for a few moments, then watched Carl, trying not to let him know she was watching him. She figured she'd ask Carl what was up whenever they got back to school.

As they neared the school, Carl glanced at Snape every now and then. He wondered what had made the professor say it, and he wondered if they would ever talk about it again. He sighed heavily as the school came into sight.

The closer they got to the school, the more thoughts that filled Wenny's mind. They were back and everything would be different. What had happened between Professor Snape and Carl after Wenny had floo'ed to Hogsmeade? Would people ask them where they had been the past few days? Would they be forced to retell the story every 15 minutes? Why did Professor Snape believe they were safe enough to come back to Hogwarts? Would she and Carl be able to see very much of each other? She had never felt so conflicted to see Hogwarts castle before.

As they passed through the gates, Wenny looked over and gave Carl a somewhat sad smile.

Carl returned the sad smile. He could tell how she felt. He felt the same way. Carl squeezed Wenny's hand reassuringly. As they reached the Entrance Hall, Snape turned to them. "You are to go directly to Dumbledore's office," he told them and then turned around and headed off towards the dungeon.

Wenny nodded as Professor Snape fled to the dungeons. She turned to Carl, "we're back." She put her arms around him and just held him for a few minutes. It felt so weird being in this castle after everything they had been through. She didn't feel as though she belonged here anymore, like she was an average school kid. And she wasn't. She had definitely changed over the past few days. She was sure they both had. "Well, I guess we should go see Dumbledore."

"Yeah, I guess we should," he said sadly. He really didn't want to be back. It was just too different. They stood there for awhile. Carl didn't want to move.

Wenny looked at him, then reached up and touched his cheek. She wasn't sure what to say. Sure, she could say that everything was going to be fine and that nothing would change, but...who was to know it wouldn't? What if it did? That was definitely not something she wanted to think about.

After a few minutes, she took his hand, "come on." She started walking towards Dumbledore's office.

He felt like he as floating in water, it seemed so unreal. And he felt that Wenny was his life raft and if he were to ever let go of her, he'd drown. When they reached Dumbledore's office, the staircase automatically appeared.

Wenny looked back at Carl and wished she hadn't. He looked just as sad as she felt. She led him onto the staircase and it took them up to Dumbledore's office. Wenny walked up and softly knocked on Dumbledore's office door. "Professor?"

Carl was looking down at the ground half the time. When Wenny knocked on the door, he looked up. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to the Headmaster.

"Come in," came a voice from within the office. Wenny opened the door and walked in, still holding onto Carl's hand. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore. Professor Snape said that we were to come to see you."

"Yes, yes...come in and have a seat. Would you like a lemon sherbert?," he asked, smiling at them. "No, thank you, sir," Wenny said quietly, watching the elderly man. She glanced over to see how Carl was doing.

Carl looked up at Professor Dumbledore. Suddenly he remembered something Mrs. Weasley had told him. _'Dumbledore had thought it the best thing for you.'_ It was Dumbledore too. Knowing Dumbledore, it was probably mostly him. But Carl did his best to not let this affect him.

"I see you both made it safely back to school. Hopefully there were no problems with _Professor Snape_ bringing you back," he said, as his blue eyes twinkled in Carl's direction.

"No, Sir," Wenny answered politely, looking over to check to see how Carl was doing.

"Very good," Dumbledore replied, casually sitting back in his seat, popping another lemon sherbert in his mouth. "Well, I suppose you are both wondering why I had Severus, Professor Snape, send you up here?"

Carl quickly looked up and caught Dumbledore's gaze as he mentioned Snape. Then he looked back down at the ground. He had to stop himself from saying _'Not really. We kind of have other things on our minds to worry about.'_ So instead, he just simply nodded and looked back up at Dumbledore.

"Well, as I'm sure you now know, Professor Snape is a spy for the Order. He has discovered that Voldemort is currently preoccupied with other interests at the moment and therefore felt it was safe for you both to return to school. However, since there are students at this school who are either children of Death Eaters or who are, regrettably, looking to join Voldemort's services upon finishing school, we have decided that it is in your best interests to stay together as often as possible. Of course, you will still remain in your separate houses, however," Dumbledore started.

He glanced to Carl, "your situation is a bit more difficult, Carl, as you are in the house with the most Death Eater personalities. As Professor Snape is your head of house, I ask that you stay with him as often as possible when you are in the Slytherin Dungeons. Understand?"

Wenny looked from Dumbledore to Carl and back. Was telling Carl to spend that much time with Professor Snape really all that wise? What if they ended up hexing each other?

Carl felt his teeth clenching which began hurting his jaw as he kept his gaze fixed on Dumbledore. He was holding in his anger like Wenny had told him he was. But he figured that right now, in front of the headmaster, probably wasn't the best time for him to lose his temper. _Might as well save it for spending all that time with Snape,_ he thought. He slowly nodded, "Yes, Sir."

Wenny could tell that Carl was not very happy with Dumbledore's instructions and honestly, she couldn't really blame him. It had been like regrowing bones to get Professor Snape to acknowledge Carl earlier, Wenny couldn't imagine what it would be like for both of them to constantly be stuck with each other. But then again, perhaps it will cause them both to become aquainted. Hm.

"Now," Dumbledore restarted, "anytime you are not in your separate common rooms, remember to stick together. It would be much more dangerous if someone cornered one of you alone. If you are together, it would be more difficult for them to do so." He popped another lemon candy in his mouth.

"As far as the other students, I am sure they are curious as to where you two have been, but you are not obligated to tell them. Tell them only if you want to and only minor details. Do not mention staying at Grimmauld Place, for instance. As usual, supper begins in a couple of hours. I'm sure you two would like to freshen up a bit," he said, gesturing to the clothes they had been in for the past few days. "Remember to stay on the alert and notify Severus, Professor Snape, if you see or hear of anything suspicious."

"Yes, Professor," Wenny answered.

Carl nodded again as he looked up at Professor Dumbledore. He had to supress a laugh as he imaged the old man choking on one of his lemon candies. He couldn't help it. That's how he thought, especially now when he needed a laugh and he partly blamed Dumbledore for everything that was going on.

He knew that they all had their reasons. He could understand that. What he didn't like was the fact that none of them told him and Wenny the reasons. They were just expected to sit back and trust in the others that it's the right thing. Carl kept his gaze on Professor Dumbledore now to make him seem less weak than he had been by looking at the floor.

Dumbledore casually popped another lemon candy into his mouth as he looked at the two students, his blue eyes twinkling, "Well, off you go. I'll see you both at supper."

As Wenny stood up to leave, she gave Dumbledore a slight smile, "thank you, Professor." She walked over to Carl and gave him an unsure smile. She knew they had a lot to talk about once they left Dumbledore's office.

Carl nodded and looked at him as he stood up. Then he finally turned his gaze from Dumbledore and looked at Wenny. He turned towards the exit and walked with Wenny to the door.

Once they were down in the Main Corridor, Wenny turned to Carl. "Are you...ok...?," she asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure how he would take the instructions to stay close to Professor Snape.

Carl took a deep breath. "Yea, I'm fine." He shrugged. "Or at least I will be," he said quietly, looking her in the eyes. _At least I can do that much,_ he thought.

Wenny noticed Carl not even reaching for her hand and sighed. Was it really going to be like this from now on? How were they supposed to from as close as they had been...to not even holding hands?

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for a little bit," she said. Even though it was only until supper, it was going to be the first time they had been apart for longer than a few minutes, in the past few days.

It seemed most students were either outside or in their common rooms at the moment, so Wenny glanced around and, not seeing anyone nearby, leaned in and gave him one short, yet sweet, kiss.

Carl returned the kiss. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Wenny, I love you," he said quietly. "Things are going to change, yes. But I promise you that _that_ will never change," he said softly.

Wenny looked at him for a moment then slowly nodded, "ok." She put her arms around him, "I love you, too." She just held him for a few moments, not wanting to let go, but knowing she had to. Eventually, she pulled away and looked at him, "I guess we should go. ...I'll see you later." She gave him a small smile, put up her hand in a small wave, and began walking towards the Hufflepuff common room.

Carl stood there and watched Wenny walking away for a moment before finally turning around and heading in the direction of his common room. He was looking at the ground when he heard Snape. "Carl!" Carl quickly looked up to see Snape walking towards him. He wondered, Snape never called anyone by their first name, not usually anyways. And he had never called him Carl. Then again, his last name was Lestrange. So maybe Snape was doing him a favor.

"Yes, _Professor?_" he asked. "I'm guessing the headmaster has told you what you need to know." Carl nodded as he teeth began to clench again. "Good. I think you can make it to the common room fine by yourself. Or do you need directions?" he asked. "No," Carl said through his teeth.

Snape began walking again, walking past him. "Thank you," Carl said quietly and began walking before he cared to see Snape's reaction. He didn't know why he said it. He wondered why his anger hadn't come out yet.

When Wenny got to her dorm, several of her dorm mates happened to be in there and, of course, they all wanted to know where she had been and whether the rumors about her being attacked by Death Eaters were true or not. She gave them a few watered down answers and refused to tell them any more specific details.

Fortunately, one of her dorm mates commented on how 'down' she looked and told the rest of them to leave Wenny alone. They all assumed it was because of what she had been through, as they didn't know about Carl yet. Wenny knew she had to tell them sometime, since they would probably be seeing him around her a lot, but she figured it could wait until after supper.

She took a quick shower, changed into some clean clothes, and was able to lie down for a quick nap. She wasn't able to actually fall asleep, though, since she was thinking about Carl and wondering how things were going with him and Professor Snape.

When Carl entered the common room, only a couple of people came up to him. "I don't want to talk about it," was all that he'd say. He got a quick shower and put on some fresh clothes. He went to his dorm and laid down on his bed. He looked up at the ceiling. It didn't feel the same. The bed, or the fact that Wenny wasn't with him.


	16. Midnight Rendezvous

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Sixteen: Midnight Rendezvous**

When it got close to time for supper, Wenny waited until her dorm mates had all already left before she got up to leave for the Great Hall. She was hoping to be able to see Carl for a few minutes before supper and didn't want her dorm mates all tagging along. As soon as she walked into the Great Hall, she started glancing around, looking for him.

Carl came up behind her. "Boo," he said quietly and grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. He gently kissed her and then held her close for a few moments.

Wenny smiled when she heard his voice and walked with him down the hall. "I missed you," she said before returning the kiss.

"I missed you, too," he said as he held her. He sighed. "Just imagine when the week starts," he said sadly. After he said it, he wished he didn't.

Wenny frowned, "yeah, I know...it's going to be torturous." She laid her head on his shoulder. "We've been apart for approximately two hours and I don't know about for you, but for me, it felt like two years. Or perhaps even longer than that." She smiled up at him.

"It was definitely too long," he said as he kissed the top of her head. He looked towards the Entrance Hall to see most of the students entering the Great Hall, and sighed. "I guess we should probably go," he said.

"Yeah, I guess so...," she reluctantly agreed. "Maybe we can meet back here after supper?," she suggested. It would only be another moment or two, but...it seemed as if that was all they were going to have nowadays. Stolen moments together here and there.

After a moment, she leaned up and gave him another kiss and then tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and smiled.

He smiled at her after returning the kiss. "It's a date," he said quietly, copying her and moving a strand of her hair out of her face and behind her ear. He kissed her again. He really didn't want to leave, but knew that Professor Dumbledore might get mad if they didn't show up.

Wenny smiled at him, "good." She took his hand in hers and walked with him back to the Great Hall. She turned to look at him for a moment, wishing she could give him one more kiss, but deciding not to push it with professors around. "I'll see ya after supper," she said quietly before walking over to the Hufflepuff table.

"See ya," he said quietly as he watched her walk to her table for a moment and then turned towards his own table. He sat down and sighed. This felt so different.

Wenny spent the entire supper thinking about Carl, picking at her food, and avoiding more questions from the other Hufflepuffs. Everyone had heard one of various versions of the story and they all wanted to know which version was the correct one. All _she_ wanted was for supper to hurry up and end so she could see Carl again.

Carl glanced over at Wenny every now and then. He had a plate of food infront of him but he didn't touch it at all. Many of the Slytherins knew not to bother him when he was in this kind of mood. He actually threatened to hex a first year because he kept bothering him. Of course he was joking, but the first year didn't know that.

Wenny tried to pay attention to the conversations going on around her and such, but the more she tried, the more her thoughts were filled with thoughts of Carl. After a while, she discreetly looked back over her shoulder and could see Carl sitting at the Slytherin table. She grinned and watched him.

Carl was looking down at his plate, his chin in his hand. He sighed and looked up to look at Wenny again and saw her looking at him. He smiled at her, wishing they were sitting together.

Wenny gave Carl a smile as she put her hand up to her shoulder and discreetly waved at him. As she watched him, she wondered if it was too early to plan an after-curfew meeting...and decided to ask him after supper.

Carl blew her a kiss and smiled at her. He wondered what everyone would do if he walked over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down with Wenny. He grinned thinking about it.

Seeing Carl blow her a kiss, Wenny laughed to herself. She suddenly wondered if any of her housemates had noticed her sudden attitude change yet. Not that she particularly cared if they did. She was actually starting to look forward to telling her dorm mates about Carl tonight.

Carl looked around as he heard his name being called by Malfoy. Carl rolled his eyes and looked down the table. "Yes, Draco?" he asked. "Is it true? About where you were?," Draco asked, eyeing Carl suspiciously. Carl rolled his eyes again and looked away, glancing at Wenny, which made him smile again.

Wenny noticed Carl looking down the table and rolling his eyes, and she wondered who it was directed at. Then, when he turned back to her, she smiled again.

About that time, Dumbledore dismissed everyone to their common rooms. Wenny told her housemates that she needed to go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for a moment. They thought she was odd, of course, but she couldn't tell them the truth yet. She waited until most of them had headed for the common room before she got up and headed towards the hallway where she and Carl had met before dinner.

Carl didn't have to explain himself to the other Slytherins. The same first year asked him where he was going and if he could come too, but Carl just glared at him and the first year ran off to the common room. Carl made his way down the hall and saw Wenny.

Wenny grinned as she saw Carl. "Hey there," she said as she quickly claimed his lips with her own. After a moment, she glanced around to be sure they were alone, "would you like to meet tonight?"

Carl frowned when she ended the kiss, but looked her in the eyes and smiled. "I'd love to," he said quietly, stroking her hair.

She smiled, "same place we met...about midnight?" She didn't wait for him to answer as she kissed him again. She didn't like being away from him so much, but she was trying to make the most of the time they were together. She hoped he didn't mind. "By the way, how are you?," she asked, watching him closely. She wondered if he and Professor Snape had had any run-ins yet.

He took a deep breath. He figured he should probably tell her. "I saw Snape in the hall earlier. He was a bit rude now that I think about it. I'm surprised I didn't pull out my wand and hex him." He sighed. "But I really don't want to talk more about it," he said as he put his hand on the side of her neck and smiled at her.

Wenny had to grin at the thought of Carl hexing Professor Snape. She couldn't entirely blamed him, after the Professor's behavior earlier that day.

Hearing that Carl didn't want to talk about it, and knowing they only had a few more moments before they'd have to go to their common rooms, she simply nodded, "ok."

Wenny put her hand on his cheek and softly stroked it with her thumb, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said as he pulled her head towards his and kissed her deeply for a moment and then pulled away. "I'll see you in a while, then?" he asked.

She grinned at the kiss and then nodded, "yeah...I'll be there." She kissed him once more before turning to go to the Hufflepuff common room.

Carl headed to the Slytherin common room. Once he got inside, Malfoy was waiting for him. "So, it's true then?" Draco asked, his eyes lighting up as he stood up from the couch.

Carl rolled his eyes again. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You and a Hufflepuff? Have you gone mad?" he said, walking right up to Carl.

"I said shut up," he said as he pushed Draco out of the way and went up to his dorm.

Wenny went back to her dorm in a much better mood than she had been in when they had arrived back at the castle that afternoon. Her dorm mates noticed and, as expected, asked her about it. She told them a couple of things, like his name and year and such, but figured that was really all they needed to know. For now at least.

At curfew, Wenny was lying in her bed, fully dressed, watching the clock and counting down the minutes until time to meet Carl. A few minutes before midnight, she quietly got up and snuck out and headed for the bench by the lake.

Carl had laid in his bed, thinking. Malfoy just had to piss him off at that exact moment. He sighed, letting go of it. His mind raced to Snape. He stopped thinking about that quickly though, because there wasn't much to think about. He finally figured there wasn't much use in contemplating things he wouldn't be able to figure out. Then he thought of Wenny and smiled as he jumped out of the bed. He snuck outside and saw her by the lake and he walked up to her.

Wenny was sitting in her favorite spot, under the tree somewhat off to the side of the bench. The same place she had been sitting the night she met Carl. She heard footsteps and glanced over, grinning. "Hi," she said quietly.

Carl went over and sat down next to her. "Rather curious, isn't it? The Forest," he said, smirking. "Sound familiar?" he said, putting his hand on her cheek and kissing her.

Wenny laughed, "hmm...that _does_ sound rather familiar, though I have _no_ idea why." She grinned and returned the kiss. "I'm glad you showed up," she said, reaching over and taking one of his hands in hers.

"Why wouldn't I?" he said, grabbing her other hand and kissing her again. "I love you."

She looked at him for a moment, "I love you, too, Carl." And she did.

"Doesn't it feel strange being back _here_ now? This spot, I mean. After everything?," she asked, turning to look at the lake.

He nodded as he wrapped one arm around her. "It feels weird, yeah. But you know what? It doesn't feel bad. The lake is peaceful and beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you," he said softly.

"You are much too sweet," she said with a grin, "but thank you." She leaned in and kissed him.

After a moment, she looked over at him with a smirk, "my dorm mates are rather interested in meeting you. Just so you know."

"Really?" he asked interested. "And...do they happen to know that I'm in Slytherin?" he asked, smirking at her.

"But of course," Wenny said with a grin, "that was one of the first things I told them. It makes me seem more rebellious." She laughed, "kidding. But yes, they know you're in Slytherin. Why do you ask?"

Carl shrugged. "I guess Hufflepuffs are more understanding than Slytherins," he said with a sigh. "They can't get past their egos to realize true love." He looked at her and smiled.

Wenny watched him for a moment, "the Slyths don't like the idea of us being together, do they?" She already knew the answer to that question, though. She could see it in his eyes. "We should've expected that, I suppose," she said with a sigh. "They're not giving you too much crap for it, are they?"

"Oh, no, we wouldn't do that," came a cold voice. Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind the tree.

Carl stood up quickly. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I just had to see for myself if it was true. You disgust me, Carl."

Carl walked up to him and punched him hard in the jaw. "And you can mind your own business!" he yelled.

When Wenny heard the comment, she sighed. She didn't even have to look to know who it was: Draco Malfoy.

She knew the situation wouldn't end well, but before she knew it, Carl had punched Draco. "Carl," Wenny said quietly, shaking her head. It wasn't that Draco didn't deserve the punch, but that they could get into big trouble just for being out here, let alone the two guys beating each other up. And if they were caught, that would put an end to any hope of their meeting up after curfew.

"You son of a bitch!" yelled Malfoy.

"There's alot more where that came from, Draco! I've been told that I have alot of anger bottled up inside me. Would you like to find out just how much!?" he yelled at him.

"Shut up, Carl. I know all about your dear fatherly problems. My father knows all. In fact, he was one of the death eaters who had attacked you. You were probably too scared out of your mind to realize it."

Carl's teeth were clenched as he had another punch ready at his side.

At this, Wenny stood up and glared at Draco. "Like we would've expected any more from your family, Malfoy," she spat at the blonde boy. "Being assigned to attack a couple of teenagers must have really been quite an honor for your father, eh? Too bad he was so incompetent as to have let us get away. I'm sure he made quite the impression with his superiors."

"Why, you little..." Draco said as he took a step towards Wenny.

Carl stepped infront of him. "You sure you want to finish that sentence, Malfoy?" he said, glaring at him.

Wenny reached over and put a hand on Carl's arm, hoping he wouldn't do anything rash. They really didn't need any more trouble than they already had at the present time. And though Draco's father may not have been the most competent Death Eater, he still held a lot of power.

She simply glared at Draco, making sure he knew she wasn't afraid of him.

"Why don't you just leave us alone, Malfoy? We haven't done anything to you," he said, putting his hand on Wenny's.

Malfoy took a step towards them. "I'll do you a favor and leave you alone for now. But I promise you we're not through," he said as he got right into Carl's face, who could see a drop of blood on Malfoy's lip.

Wenny watched the two guys, not quite sure what to do or say. She just wanted it to be over, and for Draco to leave.

As she stood there, watching them, one certain thought kept playing across her mind. She knew Carl would tell her she was silly, but...it was still making her feel rather bad.

"I think it's about time you leave," Carl told him.

Malfoy just glared at him and then nodded. He turned around to leave, but then quickly turned back around with a punch that landed right on Carl's nose. "Until next time, Carl," he said as he left and went back into the castle.

Carl held his nose as he watched Malfoy leave. "That jerk," he muttered, looking at his hands which were now bloody.

Wenny winced as Draco punched Carl and it took all of her strength not to hex the boy into oblivion. After Draco had started back towards the castle, she quickly pulled out her wand, "Episkey. There, that should do it."

After a moment, she went and sat back down in 'her' spot.

Carl touched his nose and looked at his hand. "Thanks," he said quietly as he went and sat back down next to Wenny. He looked at her and then to the lake and sighed.

She sat there for a moment, trying to think of something to say to him. She didn't want to seem melodramatic, but she couldn't help but think that things seemed to go wrong because of her. First, his 'father' nearly killed him because Carl chose not to kill her. Which wouldn't have been an issue had she not spoken to him in the first place. And now he was being beaten on by his fellow Slytherins. Again, because of her.

Without looking at him, she said "I'm sorry, Carl."

Carl quickly looked over at her. "For what?" he asked her, surprised. He looked at her curiously.

She knew what he would say if she told him, so she just shrugged.

He sighed and put his arm around Wenny. He knew what she was thinking. "Wenny, please don't be sorry. You saved my life. I finally feel like I'm where I belong. I love you, Wenny," he told her.

How could she say anything after that? Of course, she still felt a bit guilty. At the very least like she seem to be some kind of horrible luck charm. But, after Carl's comment, if she said anything, it would just seem as if she were being silly. Perhaps she was, but she still felt a bit bad. His comment did help a bit, though. She looked over at him, and then nodded slowly.

After a few moments, "are you ok? I mean, it doesn't hurt anymore, does it? Stupid Malfoy."

"I'll be fine," he said. "All he really hurt was my pride," he told her with a grin. "Getting punched by a greedy, spoiled blonde boy isn't the easiest thing to cope with," he said as he reached for her hand and held it.

Wenny leaned over to kiss his cheek, "awwwww." She grinned, then looked at him, "Don't let it bother you, ok? I mean, honestly, you've already done so much more than he'll ever be capable of doing."

He smiled at her. "Thanks," he said quietly. He took his arm that was around her and put his hand on her cheek and kissed her gently on the lips.

"You're welcome," she said with a slight smile as she returned the kiss. Suddenly, she looked at him, "Do you think he'll report us for being out here after curfew?"

"Not unless he wants to report himself for being out of the common room after curfew," Carl said with a smirk. "He likes making others miserable, but usually not at the expense of himself."

"But what if reports us anonymously or something? Or what if he sets something up to get us caught out here by a professor or something? I can see him doing that...," she said, a bit worried.

"You worry too much," he said with a grin. "But if you'd feel better, than we can go back," he told her.

"I do, don't I?," she asked with a slight laugh. "I can't help it, I guess. ...And no, I don't want to go back now...but, what if he does something to make it so that we can't come out here any more?"

"You're worrying again, Wenny," he told her, putting his arm back around her. "And besides, it wouldn't be like we wouldn't get to see each other at all. We're supposed to be together as much as we can, remember? And we'll find ways out here," he said, smirking.

"Sorry, I'm trying not to, I'm just worried that...nevermind," she caught herself and laughed. "We better," she added.

She looked out toward the lake for a moment, thinking about the many times she sat out here drawing it. "I'll have to show you some of my drawings one day. I usually don't show them to anyone, but...I think I'll make an exception for you," she said with a slight grin in his direction.

He smiled. "Oh, I feel so special," he teased. "I really would love to see them though," he told her. He looked out towards the lake too and took in how peaceful it was. It was much different from the past few days. It was a relief, but it would take some getting used to. If it lasted anyways.

"You should," she said with a smirk, then laughed.

She watched him for a moment, then turned back to the lake. "You only have one more year of school...have you thought of what you might want to do after...?"

Carl shook his head. "No, not really," he said. He really hadn't thought about it. He had always assumed he was just going to be a Death Eater and that's all that life would bring. But now that he had a choice, he didn't know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life after school. He turned to her curiously. "What do you want to do after school?" he asked her.

"Well, I haven't really decided, but I've considered a few things. Like maybe healer...or something...," she said, glancing over at him. She hadn't told him, but growing up, she had overheard her father talking about things that Voldemort's followers did and it had stayed on her mind. So one day, she decided that she wanted to do something that would make a difference for the better, even if for only one person.

"Well, you did a very nice job at healing me up back there," he said, smiling at her. Then he suddenly frowned. He knew that what he had done upset her, and he understood more so now. "I'm sorry," he said quietly after awhile. He understood how hard it was for a doctor to see anyone suffer. His best friend's mother had been a doctor before they were both killed.

"Thank you," she said, smiling a little. When she heard his apology, she turned to him a bit worried, "sorry for what?" The apology seemed to come out of nowhere and she didn't know what he might be apologizing for. "If it's for hitting Malfoy, there's no need...he deserved it," she said with a slight grin.

"Not that. Well, not exactly anyways." His mind flashed with images of him using the Crucio curse infront of Wenny and other times. He realized they would haunt him for the rest of his life. He wished his anger for Snape didn't result in another one of those outbursts, and yet he could feel that a part of him did.

"Not exactly?," Wenny asked, still unsure of what he was apologizing for. She watched him for a moment and could tell that something was bothering him, "what is it, Carl?"

He sighed. "Forget it," he said quietly, shaking his head slightly. That's all he wanted, to forget. But he knew he wouldn't be able to.

She continued watching him, not sure what to say. She didn't like seeing him so unhappy. "You don't like to see me blame myself for our situation, Carl. I don't like seeing you blaming yourself for things either."

He sighed. "You're right," he said quietly, and then quickly turned his head when he thought he heard footsteps walking towards them. He didn't see anything, so he hoped it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Wenny was still watching him and still wondering exactly what it was that he was apologizing for, when she saw him look around. She glanced in the direction he had looked but didn't see anything, so she turned back to him. "Carl, are you ok?," she asked. He was acting strangely and it was really starting to worry her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said slowly as he looked back to her. "Just imagining things," he said. I hope, he thought to himself. He would hate it if it were another Death Eater, but he would hate it even more if it were a professor.

"You better be fine," she said with a slight grin. She was still worried about him, but she didn't want them stressing out too much, since they'd have to go back to the castle soon. She reached over and gently brushed his cheek with the back of her hand, "I am so glad I met you."

Carl smiled as he felt his heart flutter. "I'm glad I met you too," he said. He thought he heard leaves rustle, but he didn't turn around because he didn't want to make Wenny ask him if he were ok again.

Wenny gave Carl a slight smile, then tucked some of his hair behind his ear, but kept her fingers in his hair as she leaned over and kissed him.

He smiled as he kissed her back and continued the kiss for a moment. He heard the footsteps get louder and couldn't help but turn his head quickly in the direction again.

Wenny looked at Carl oddly, "what is it?" She looked over in the direction he was looking.

"N...nothing," he said after seeing nothing in that direction. He turned back to Wenny, but then quickly turned back to see if someone was there, but there was still nothing. He sighed. Maybe he was becoming paranoid.

"Out for a walk?" came the voice of Severus Snape.


	17. Confrontation

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Seventeen: Confrontation**

Wenny winced as soon as she heard Snape's voice...and cursed Malfoy. She knew he probably had something to do with Snape finding them.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she stood up, "not technically."

Carl stood up after Wenny and very slowly turned towards Snape and felt his jaw clench. He glared at Snape who didn't say anything at first. "Wenny and I are supposed to stay together as much as we can. We can't very well do that when we're in completely different houses, can we?" he said sarcastically.

"You're more foolish than I thought," Snape spat at him. "The Death Eaters may be more occupied at the moment, but you're more vulnerable on the grounds in the middle of the night."

Glancing between the two guys, Wenny could tell that things could get rather interesting very quickly. She reached over and put her arm through Carl's to try to reassure him and to try to keep him from losing his cool.

"Professor, we just wanted to get some air. We were in that house for what felt like ages...and now the castle...," she said quietly. It wasn't the total truth, as they had really just wanted to be together, and she knew Snape probably wouldn't care either way, but she figured she should at least say _something._

"Silence," Snape said, not in his usual yelling tone, but actually quite quiet, which creeped Carl out more. "I would think you both would be smarter than this," he said, glaring at each of them.

Carl felt his jaw hurt as his teeth clenched tighter together. His hand moved inside his cloak, wanting very much to grab his wand as he felt his anger start to boil.

Wenny frowned, not sure whether or not to speak. After a moment, she decided that standing there not saying anything would be even worse. "Well, we're sorry, Professor." She would apologize, but she wasn't about to promise that they wouldn't sneak out again.

She could tell how tense Carl was, and decided it would be smart to get away from Snape as quickly as possible. She glanced towards the castle, "would you like us to go back inside now?"

Snape looked at Carl and saw his hand inside his robe. "Not unless Carl here was planning on attacking me," he said with a slight smirk. "Go ahead, Carl. Lets see just how much of your father is inside you."

Carl tightened his grip on his wand and the pressure he was exerting on his jaw as he very slowly pulled out his wand, keeping his gaze intently on Snape.

"What are you doing?," Wenny whispered fiercely when she saw Carl pull out his wand. If he attacked a teacher, he could be expelled and that was not something she wanted to think about.

She looked back at Snape, "Professor, I really don't think you should prevoke him."

"Be quiet, Wenny," Carl said as he lifted his wand to point at Snape and walked closer to him, away from her.

Snape just kept smirking. "You're hesitating, Carl." He looked at Wenny. "Oh, don't worry, I won't get him expelled," he said. "How could a father do that to his only son?" he asked sarcastically as he looked back to Carl.

When Wenny heard Carl tell her to be quiet, she knew the situation was serious. He had never told her what to do. Not like that, anyway. She was tempted to pull out her own wand and disarm Carl, but for some reason, she didn't feel she should. Yet.

She watched the two, wondering why Snape was doing this. Why was he practically asking for Carl to crucio him? Nothing good could come of the situation, she was sure of it. "Professor, I don't understand why you're doing this," she asked, hoping to distract him or something. She wasn't even sure.

"I would think you of all people would know. This is going to happen anyways. It's just a matter of time. I'd rather we get this over with sooner than later," Snape said, looking from Wenny to Carl.

Carl didn't look away from Snape or move as he held his wand at the professor, his hands shaking slightly.

Wenny knew Professor Snape had a point, but until now, she hadn't thought Carl would actually go through with it. Think about it, yes. Even talk about it. But to actually _do_ it?

Not knowing what else to do, she walked over to Carl. She knew he was angry with the Professor and she didn't blame him. But she didn't want to see Carl do this. Besides, he had promised her he wouldn't use any more unforgivables, right? Though, admittably, she had no idea whether he was planning to use one on Snape. But, she wouldn't doubt it. "Please don't do this, Carl," she said quietly.

"Why did you do it?" Carl asked Snape. "What good could have possibly come out of abandoning me and leaving me with Lestrange? Was it some of kind of test? Did you just not want me?" He paused a moment to give Snape an opportunity to answer. When it seemed the man wasn't going to, Carl yelled, "Well what is it?"

"As I'm sure you know, I live a very dangerous life. If anything ever happened, they would go after you. And yes, in a way it was a test."

Carl had wanted answers, but none of it helped him with his anger and he still very much wanted to do something to Snape.

Wenny wanted to say or do something. She knew the two needed to talk, but she was worried that it would not simply end there. She had seen how quick Carl was to bypass words and go directly to curses.

When she heard Snape's answer, however, she turned to him. "What kind of test?," she asked curiously. She could understand the part about protecting Carl. She had actually suggested that as an explanation to Carl right after he found out Snape was his father. But...what would Snape be testing Carl for?

"Neither of you would understand, except for the obvious. Seeing if living with a Death Eater for his entire life would turn him into one himself," Snape said as he glanced at Wenny before turning quickly back to Carl.

Another question came to Carl's mind that he had been wondering, but never actually had the guts to think about. "Who's my mother?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Would you say he passed or failed?," Wenny asked, a bit more forceful than she should have, though she had wanted to say even more.

Wenny had been fairly calm and unassuming throughout Carl learning Snape was his father, but actually hearing Snape simply say that he wanted to see if living with a Death Eater would've made Carl one, infuriated her. She couldn't help but remember how tormented Carl had been when she met him, feeling pressured to be something he didn't want to be. "Do you have any idea what you put him through?"

She heard Carl's question and looked at him for a moment. She couldn't help but be rather curious herself, so she turned back to Snape, waiting to see if he would answer.

Ignoring Carl's question for the time being, Snape turned to Wenny. "As a matter of fact I do. Though, giving Carl up was a must, as Dumbledore says. Leaving him with Lestrange was a choice Dumbledore and I made together." He then turned to Carl who had been glaring at him the entire time. He took a deep breath and a very long pause. "Carl, your mother was the most beautiful creature on this earth."

Carl suddenly lowered his wand in complete shock at the tone Snape was using. But he quickly got over it and held his wand back up, feeling tears gathering in his eyes. Snape had said _'was.'_

Wenny noticed Carl lower his wand and turned to him, a bit relieved, but then saw him raise it again and sighed. She noticed the look in his eyes, though, and walked a bit closer to him. "Carl?" she said quietly.

Snape just watched Carl as he held his wand up. "Your mother died giving birth to you, which only made it that much easier to give you up," he told Carl.

"Right, so since you figured that since I was going to have to grow up without a mother, I could do it with growing up without my real father as well. Is that it?" Carl asked angrily.

"You say that as if it was his fault," Wenny said, glaring at Snape. It was one thing for him to barely acknowledge Carl as his son, but to make a comment that could be taken as laying blame on Carl, even if it wasn't meant that way, was more than she would stand for. If he hadn't been her Professor and if they hadn't currently been on school grounds, she probably would've said a lot more, possibly even hexed him or slapped him. But, she restrained herself.

Then she heard Carl's comment and wanted to go over and put her arms around him, but she knew he probably wouldn't want that at the moment. She knew that this was something the two guys would have to talk through themselves, she just hoped they were able to do it without hexing each other.

"So you blame me, is that what it was? You figured that since I had ruined your life by being born, then you'd ruin mine too!?" he yelled, getting ready to throw any spell at Snape that he could. And yet he was very much aware to not disappoint Wenny.

"No, I don't blame you Carl," Snape said calmly. "It's just...I loved her."

Carl had never heard Snape speak like this, but he frankly didn't care at the moment. "You loving somebody." He scoffed. "Hard to believe."

Wenny watched the two guys, then walked over to Carl and put her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't sure if she should do any more than that, but she wanted him to know she was there for him. She couldn't imagine what he must be feeling at the moment.

"And you think you know love?" Snape snapped at him, getting Carl's anger boiling just enough.

"As a matter of fact I do!" he yelled. He put his hand up and held Wenny's that was on his shoulder for a moment. Then he took a step towards Snape. "Levicorpus!" he shouted as Snape was suddenly turned upside down in the air by his feet. _It's a good thing he was wearing pants,_ Carl thought. He couldn't think of another spell he could use that wasn't considered unforgivable. Except one, and his anger hadn't quite boiled to that...yet.

Wenny couldn't help but smile when she felt Carl's hand on hers. And when she saw him flip Professor Snape, she had to fight not to laugh. She knew it was a rather serious situation, but a grown man hanging upside down was quite a hilarious sight. And the fact it was Professor Snape made it even funnier. Though, had Snape not deserved it, Wenny would've said something to Carl about hexing the man.

After a few moments, however, she realized that regardless of whether or not he deserved it, he was still their teacher and could get Carl in a lot of trouble. "Carl," she said, hoping he would let Professor Snape down.

"Yes, Wenny?" he asked, now grinning at the sight before him. He took another step towards the dangling Professor Snape. "Are you glad I'm getting this out of my system?" he asked, glaring at the man. "Because this is just child's play. I'm not through yet," he said, as he could feel his eyes swelling with tears, yet still grinning.

Snape just hung there, glaring at Carl. "Oh, I can't wait to see what you have in store," Snape said sarcastically.

Wenny was still trying not to laugh, until she heard Carl's comment to Snape. His tone worried her a bit. She walked over and looked at him, all traces of laughter now gone. "Carl...?," she said, looking at him curiously.

"What Wenny?" he asked her, trying his best in his current situation not to yell at her, which was difficult. He kept his eyes fixed on Snape, glaring at him.

"What are you going to do, Carl?" Snape asked him, glaring right back. "Use your anger on me?" he asked sarcastically.

"Please let this stop here," she said quietly, watching him closely. "You've told him you're angry, you've asked him why he left you, you've asked about your Mother...," she glanced over to Snape and then back to Carl. "Yell at him if you'd like, but...please don't do anything...," she had started to finish with 'stupid,' but decided against it. She continued watching him, she definitely didn't like the look on his face.

Carl felt like he was about to break every tooth in his mouth with how hard he was clenching them together. "Not until he pays for what he put me through," he said, not letting up on the pressure of his jaw. "Sectumsempra!" he yelled.

The last spell was lifted as Snape fell to the ground, bleeding from a deep gash going diagonally across his chest. Snape didn't say anything as he laid there, wincing.

Carl suddenly felt tears racing quickly down his cheeks as he stumbled backwards slowly. He walked to the tree, with an expression that suggested he'd just seen a ghost. He sat down and looked out towards the lake, debating whether or not to drown himself. He put his head in his hands, careful not to look at Wenny or Snape or he'd feel even more ashamed.

Wenny watched, shocked, as Carl used the Sectumsempra curse on the Professor. "Carl!," was about all she got out before running over to Snape. She was looking at the Professor, in horror over the effect of the curse, and wondering what could be done. "Professor, I'm not quite sure how to fix this...," she admitted, nervously. She knew 'episkey,' but she wasn't sure that was strong enough for this wound. Figuring that it was better than doing nothing, she pulled out her wand, "Episkey."

She looked over at Carl, wanting to be upset at him for doing this. She wanted to run over to him and yell at him, but when she saw him, she couldn't. She decided she'd just talk to him later, once they were able to somehow make sure Professor Snape was alright.

The spell didn't help at all and Snape, who was now more pale than usual, took out his wand with a shaky hand. He ran the tip of his wand along the gash, "muttering an incantation that sounded almost like a song." He repeated it three or four times until the wound looked like it was being stitched together. He stood up, still pale and shaky. "You truly are my son. Just as twisted and pathetic as I was," Snape muttered to Carl. "Now if you'll excuse me," he said, turning to Wenny. "I'd like to get myself some dittany before I scar. And you two should go inside." He began walking away, limping, and disappeared into the Entrance Hall.

Carl didn't look up or make a sound. _Of course, Snape would be able to heal himself,_ he thought. He wanted Snape to yell at him or fight back, not simply insult him and walk away. Somewhere inside him, he hoped Wenny would do that job and yell at him.

Wenny stood there, watching the Professor walk away, not quite sure what to say to Carl or if she even wanted to talk to him.

After a few moments, she looked over at Carl and quietly said, "how could you do that?" She was hoping he'd have a good explanation, because if not...well...

He didn't look up at her or move or say anything at all. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know why he had done it. She had told him not to, she had practically begged him. Why hadn't he listened to her? The one person he ever loved and he couldn't even do that.

"Answer me!," she said, her attention not moving away from Carl. It was one thing to be angry and to yell at someone or to hang them upside down, but he had nearly killed the Professor. To say she was disappointed in him was putting it mildly.

"I don't know!" he yelled back. He didn't blame her for yelling at him. He wouldn't blame her if she turned him in. He wouldn't even blame her if she left him, although the thought of it turned his heart upside down.

"You nearly _killed_ him, Carl!," she replied. She looked away for a moment, trying to blink back tears. There really was no excuse for using that curse, in her opinion, and it hurt that he hadn't listened to her when she pleaded with him not to do this. The curse he had used was nearly as bad as the Crucio, it just wasn't classified as an unforgivable. _Though, it should be,_ she thought.

"He looked fine to me!" he yelled as he looked up at her. He watched her, wishing he could hold her. But he wouldn't allow himself to, even if she wanted him to, which was very doubtful at the moment. He just sat there and looked back down at the ground.

"Fine!? He looked _fine_ to you!?," she asked, shocked. The thought that he saw nothing wrong with almost killing the Professor _really_ scared Wenny. She watched him for a moment longer. "I thought I knew you," she said quietly.

He looked up quickly after hearing what Wenny said, tears gathering in his eyes, blurring his vision. He wished there was something he could do, but knew there was absolutely nothing. "Wenny," he said almost silently. "I'm sorry," he said, knowing that an apology meant nothing right now.

Wenny turned her eyes away, not wanting to see him cry, and shook her head, "please don't." He had just said the Professor looked 'fine,' so why was he now apologizing? Probably for hurting _her_, but she wanted him to feel sorry for the Professor as well.

He nodded and looked away towards the lake. He didn't know what else to say or do. It was like it had just now hit him. _Severus Snape was his father, and he just attacked him._ But why shouldn't he have? Snape had basically told him to do it. And he listened like a fool, the fool Snape said he was. And on top of it all, he felt sick knowing that he had probably just lost the one person he loved.

"Carl, you can't keep doing this," she said quietly, "you can't keep lashing out at everyone who upsets you. Not with hexes anyway." Not only would it eventually get him into trouble, or worse, killed, but what if one day _she_ upset him to the point of him turning on her? That wasn't something she wanted to think about.

"I know that, Wenny!" he yelled at her. Why was he yelling at her? Maybe because he wanted her to yell at him. She didn't want to hear her talk quietly, it meant sad and disappointed. And it made him feel that much more worse.

Wenny watched him for a moment, surprised that he had yelled at her like that. "Obviously, you don't!," she yelled back. She looked away from him and took a deep breath to try to calm herself.

Carl looked over at her and then back to the lake. He didn't want to say anything, because he didn't want to make it worse than it already was. He looked down at his hands and noticed for the first time how pale and shaky they were, but just looked back to the lake and ignored it.

Wenny watched Carl, not sure what else she could say. "Maybe we both need sleep," she suggested after a few moments. It would be their first night apart, which was bad enough, but the fact that they were fighting made it even worse. She was sure that she wouldn't be getting any sleep.

"I guess I'll see you later," she said, wanting him to say something, _anything_ to make things ok between them again. Unfortunately, she figured it was going to take some time.

Carl would've laughed. Yea right, him getting sleep after this. He really didn't want to leave it like this, but he didn't see another choice. He didn't think anything that he would say would make a difference, and the tone of her voice gave him chills. The tone of disappointment. He wasn't used to it. Everyone had just always yelled at him.

He nodded and slowly stood up on slightly shaky legs. He began walking and walked past her, but then stopped. "I really am sorry, Wenny. I know you don't believe me, but I am," he said quietly without turning to look at her. He started walking again, hoping he would be able to see the stairs through his eyes, blurred by tears. Of course, that was the least of his worries.

Wenny watched Carl walking away and felt as if her heart was being broken into hundreds of tiny little pieces. She wanted to run up to him and hold him and tell him it was going to be ok, but _he_ was the one walking away from _her_ at the moment.

Not in the mood to go inside yet, Wenny walked over and sat down in her usual spot. She had a lot of thinking to do.


	18. Reconciliation

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Eighteen: Reconciliation**

Carl didn't look back as he headed up to the owlery and sat down next to the window sill. He looked out, looking at the sky, and then he looked down at the grounds and saw Wenny. He took a deep breath as he started drying his eyes, and watched her, wishing he was with her, holding her, stroking her hair. Drying his eyes was useless as the tears immediately returned with the thoughts of Wenny. She was right and he knew it, but he felt it was too late to do anything about it. The damage was done.

Wenny sat there, hugging her knees to her chest, just thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days. How could they have gone from feeling as if each other was the only thing that mattered, to now walking away from each other? Seeing Carl attack Professor Snape had bothered her, but seeing Carl leave her behind had bothered her even more. She hoped they would be able to fix everything, as she wasn't sure what she would do if they weren't.

Thinking she heard something, Wenny glanced over to the forest for a moment. She didn't see anything, though, so she laid her head back down on her knees.

Carl thought about going down to her, but he just couldn't stand hearing her so disappointed in him. "I love you, Wenny," he said quietly through the slight breeze coming in through the window, knowing she couldn't hear him.

He closed his eyes and it was like a slideshow playing in his mind. He had told her he was never going to let her go, and he wasn't about to break his promise, he told himself.

Wenny was still sitting there, lost in thought, when she thought she heard something again. She glanced around, but still didn't see anything. Though, this time, she was a bit creeped out and decided it might be a good idea to go back to the castle. She stood up and was about to start walking back to the castle when she heard him, "where do you think you're going?" She turned around, dreading who she might find, and there was Lucius Malfoy.

Carl had been so lost in watching Wenny that he barely even noticed her stand up. Then he saw him, Lucius. He cursed and didn't waste any time. He stood up and practically flew down the stairs, tripping every now and then, but not caring. He cursed again as he quickened his pace. Why did he have to go to the owlery?

Wenny just watched Lucius for a moment, trying to decide what to do. She glanced back towards the castle, wondering if she should maybe try to petrify him and make a run for it. But what if her hex missed? Or what if he saw her about to grab her wand and hexed her first?

"I wouldn't try it if I were you," he said, eyeing her with satisfaction. "My son told me what you thought of me. That I was...'incompetent,' I believe? I couldn't resist stopping by to prove otherwise. And I must say it was a rather nice surprise to find you out here, completely alone."

Carl ran as fast as he could down the stairs, jumping over the last five or six of all of them. He reached the etrance hall and did the same to the steps leading onto the grounds. He ran over to where Wenny and Lucius were. He ran until he was infront of Wenny. He faced Lucius, completely out of breath, just staring at him.

Wenny was rather surprised to see Carl, as she had thought he'd be up in his dorm. She wanted to ask him where he had come from or how he knew what was going on, but she figured questions could wait until after Lucius was gone.

Obviously, Lucius was rather surprised to see Carl as well, as he pulled out his wand immediately. "So nice of you to join us, Carl. I was just telling your little girlfriend here about how mistaken she was when she called me incompetent. I really couldn't let my reputation be tarnished, I'm sure you know how it is." A slight smirk appeared on the blonde's lips.

"No, why don't you tell me?" he said, still out of breath. He had just run down eight or nine flights of stairs, so you couldn't exactly blame him. He kept glaring at him, not yet pulling out his wand. He figured if he did it too quickly, Lucius would surely disarm him the second he did. "Don't tell me you're such a baby that you can't take an insult."

"My, my, my...no need for namecalling, Carl. Though, I have heard you have quite the temper...," he glanced over at Wenny and then back to Carl. Wenny got the feeling Lucius knew she and Carl had just fought over Carl's lashing out at people. She couldn't help but wonder how long Lucius had been hiding in the forest and whether or not he had seen what Carl had done to Professor Snape.

Wenny reached forward and barely touched Carl's arm. She wanted him to know she was grateful for him being there even though they were currently fighting.

Carl almost closed his eyes at Wenny's touch, but he kept his glare intently on Lucius. "What do you want?" he asked him through bared teeth. "You want revenge for being called incompetent?" He laughed. "That's a new low. Even for you, Malfoy."

"Oh, no...not 'revenge,' per se," Malfoy said, calmly, "I just don't particularly care for someone thinking so low of me. Not inaccurately, anyway. I am _not_ incompetent, as you will soon see." He raised his wand to Carl.

Since Wenny was somewhat blocked from Lucius' view by Carl standing infront of her, she slowly reached in her robe for her wand, trying not to bring any attention to herself. If she could just somehow point it at Lucius without him noticing, she could possibly get them out of this situation.

Carl didn't move, just stared from Lucius' wand in his hand to him. Maybe he really shouldn't stop whatever Lucius had planned. He probably deserved whatever it was. "Go ahead," he said. "You know, for a Death Eater, you sure are hesitating alot," he said, his expression still a glare.

Lucius simply laughed, "very well then." Though, before he could throw a hex, Wenny said "Petrificus Totalus!" She had angled her wand just enough to possibly work without Lucius noticing. Keyword: _possibly._ She was almost too nervous to look to see if it had actually hit him.

Carl watched Lucius' wand intently and then heard Wenny's voice say a spell. He watched as the light the spell made came out of Wenny's wand aimed directly at Lucius.

Not hearing Lucius cast a spell or feel Carl shoved backwards from the force of an unspoken spell, Wenny hesitantly peeked over Carl's shoulder just in time to see Lucius fall backwards. She let out a huge sigh of relief, but didn't move or speak, as she wasn't sure what to say to Carl or whether he'd even want her to.

Carl looked down at the limp body of Lucius Malfoy for a moment before saying anything to Wenny. "Thank you," he said quietly without turning around to look at her.

"Thank _you,_" she replied. After a moment, she reached forward and put her hand on his arm again. She wanted to put her arms around him, but the thought that he might walk away again kept her from doing so.

"We better get back inside the castle before that spell wears off," he said, without turning around, but keeping his gaze on Lucius. He was afraid to look at her, afraid to see disappointment still on her face.

Wenny was about to turn around and walk to the castle without saying anything, but this was the guy she loved. She hated them being like this, so she slowly put her arms around him and rested her cheek against his back. She didn't want to give him a chance to push her away, so after a moment, she let go and started walking back to the castle.

After a moment, he turned around. "Wenny!" Carl called out. He looked down at the ground and then up at her. "Will you ever forgive me?" he asked quietly. Even if she said yes, it wouldn't mean she wasn't still upset.

Wenny turned around and looked at him for a moment, then walked back over to him. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't?" Of course she was going to forgive him. She already had.

He simply nodded, not wanting to say anything else to ruin it. He looked down at the ground and then back up at her, not knowing exactly what to do. "Good night, Wenny," he said, although he really didn't want to leave it there. "You saved my life. More than you know," he said quietly as he walked slowly past her.

Carl was walking away from her yet _again,_ and it was really starting to hurt her, as she wasn't quite sure what it meant. "Carl?," she said quietly, "please don't walk away from me again."

Carl stopped and closed his eyes. He wanted so badly for her to say that. He turned around and looked at her before walking up to her. He stood there for a moment before slowly putting his arms around her.

Wenny had to blink back a few tears as she put her arms around him. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly into his shoulder. She hated fighting with him, no matter who was at fault, and she just wanted the whole situation to be over and them to go back to normal.

"Don't say that, Wenny," he said quietly. "You had every right to do what you did. I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm so sorry," he said quietly, closing his eyes as a tear fell down his cheek. He had come unbelievably close to losing her. All because of his inability to control his temper.

Without taking her head off of his shoulder, she shook her head, "no, you had every right to be angry at Snape and he really was provoking you."

He put his hand on the back of her head. "No Wenny. I shouldn't have done what I did, and you know that."

"I can't blame you, Carl," she replied. He was right, he shouldn't have done what he did. But at the moment, she didn't want to think about it, she just wanted to know that everything was ok between them. "We're ok, aren't we?," she asked quietly.

"I hope so," he said. He looked down at her, happy that she was in his arms again. But he knew that she wouldn't easily forget what had happened that night. Because neither would he.

She looked up at him, "Hope so?" She was about to ask him what he meant by that, but she remembered that Lucius Malfoy was still lying rather close by. She pulled away, but reached down and took his hand, "we better go."

Carl nodded as he looked down at their hands and let a tiny smile form at his lips. "Do you think we should go to Snape and tell him about Lucius?" he asked her. It also might give him a chance to apologize. Sure he wanted to do it to hopefully make things better with Wenny, but he knew he had been wrong.

Wenny hadn't thought about it, but that was a good idea. "Yeah, we should. And Professor Snape is the only one who knows we were out here," and he hadn't punished them, miraculously. Though, she was scared of what he might do or say to them in class on Monday.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't doubt Professor Dumbledore does, too," he said as they started to walk. He began going over in his head what he'd say to Professor Snape.

She winced at the thought of Dumbledore knowing they had been out after curfew, and wondered what he might do to punish them. Surely they weren't going to get away with being out of their dorms in the middle of the night. She just hoped whatever punishment they received wasn't too horrible.

They entered the castle and walked toward the dungeons, Wenny getting a bit more nervous with each step. What if Snape yelled at them? Though, in all honesty, he had every right to do so.

They reached Snape's room and Wenny knocked on the door.

Snape came to the door, buttoning up the fresh cloak he had put on after applying some potion he had brewed to it. He had a jar of dittany on his desk. He opened the door. "What is it?" he asked roughly, looking from Wenny to Carl.

Carl wanted to wait to say anything about what happened earlier until Wenny wasn't there. He felt he had to do this by himself. "Lucius Malfoy was on the grounds. He tried to attack us," he told Snape.

Wenny nodded, "he had been hiding in the Forest." She had almost added that she was out there alone when he 'attacked,' but decided against it. But the thought reminded her to ask Carl how he had known she was in trouble.

She watched Professor Snape for any kind of reaction to the news, but after a moment added "by the way, are you ok, Professor?"

Snape looked from one to the other for a moment before talking. "Both of you come in," he said, opening his door wider. There was a torn cloak hanging over a chair with blood all over it. Carl figured he would have to do everything infront of Wenny. "Professor...I..." he began.

But Snape cut him off. "Tell me exactly what happened after I left," he told them.

Carl really didn't want to tell him the truth. He had left Wenny on the grounds all by herself. He could have gotten her killed. "Me and Wenny...we uh...we talked and then I kind of..." He took a deep breath. "I kind of stormed off and...and left her outside." He glanced at Wenny and then looked down at the ground. How could he hae been so stupid? And he knew that's what Snape was thinking.

Wenny looked at Carl and then shook her head emphatically, "no, Professor Snape. I needed to think about things, so I went to a place that I usually go when I just need to be alone. Lucius Malfoy came out of the forest and he was about to attack me, I think, when Carl...showed up. He saved me from Lucius." At this, she glanced over at Carl, still wondering how he had known to come back out at that very moment.

Carl sighed and looked back up. "I left her, Professor. I shouldn't have. But go ahead and call me a fool," he said, waiting for it. After he didn't say anything, he went on. "I ran back outside to protect Wenny. Lucius was about to attack me when Wenny saved my life."

"I see," Snape said. "Carl, I think I've called you a fool enough. You just need to grow up. And I think you showed that when you jumped infront of a wand for Wenny."

Carl looked curiously at him. Had he said those exact words?

"Do you know where Lucius is now?" Snape asked.

Wenny had been about to say that it had been Carl who saved her and not the other way around, when she heard Professor Snape's comment. She, too, looked curiously at the Professor and then looked at Carl. She wasn't sure how to take the comment, whether or not it was meant as an insult to her as well as Carl. But the way she saw it, what Carl had done was not foolish nor did it show he needed to 'grow up.' He had risked his own life for hers.

"Well, we left him out on the grounds, petrified," Wenny answered, deciding to ignore the earlier comment.

Snape nodded. "Very well. The spell probably would've worn off by now. He's most likely gone already." He took a deep breath, and Carl noticed him wince. "I think you both should get some rest. I'll talk to the headmaster in the morning." He stood up.

"Wait, Professor," Carl said. He took a deep breath and looked at Wenny and then back at Snape.

Wenny knew a cue to leave when she saw one, "Um, I'm really quite sleepy, so I'm going to go ahead back to my dorm. I guess I'll see both of you tomorrow. Goodnight." She gave Carl a small smile and then turned to leave.

Carl turned and watched her walk away. He half wanted to call her back. He watched her for a moment before turning back to Snape who spoke up. "Wenny, please wait outside the door. I want Carl to take you back to your common room." Carl took a deep breath, glad that she was going to be there afterwards.

Wenny turned and nodded to Professor Snape, then glanced at Carl before walking out of the room. Once outside the door, she sat down on the ground.

She couldn't help but wonder what they were in there talking about, though she was pretty sure it had to do with the earlier events of the evening. Maybe they would be able to work out their differences and actually become close. Though, she knew it wouldn't happen overnight.

Carl watched Wenny until the door closed and then slowly turned to Snape. "Professor, I just want to say that..."

But Snape interupted him again. "Carl, sit down." Carl sat down slowly. "You're upset. I understand. To be honest, I was expecting much worse."

"Look, Professor, all I wanted to do was apologize." He stood up and turned towards the door.

"Sit down, Carl!" Snape said more forcefully.

Carl took one last look at the door before sitting back down.

Snape took a deep breath. "I am honestly, truly sorry for what I've done to you, Carl. But you'll have to grow up and get over it."

Carl just narrowed his eyes at him. "I should've known this wasn't going to work," he said, standing back up and heading towards the door.

"I do know what love is, Carl. So please don't say I don't. Now if you'd leave, I'd very much appreciate it."

Carl turned back around to look at Snape. "I'm sorry, Professor." And without saying anything else or waiting for his reaction, he opened the door and went out in the hall, closing it behind him.

Wenny had sat there, trying to imagine what was being said on the other side of the door. Were they apologizing to each other? Or perhaps just coming to some kind of understanding?

When she saw the door open, she quickly stood up. "So, how'd it g-...are you ok?," she said when she saw his face. She could tell that something was wrong. She stood there, watching him for a moment, wondering what Snape had said to him.

"I'm fine," Carl answered quietly. "Come on," he said, starting to walk away. He wanted to get away from there as fast as he could. He didn't know what to think of what just happened. He turned to Wenny. "Can we please not talk about it?" he asked her.

She had started to tell him that he obviously was not 'fine,' but when she heard his request, she nodded, "ok." She walked along without speaking for a few moments, then remembered what she had wanted to ask him earlier. "Carl, how did you know that Lucius...I mean, why did you come back outside earlier? When Lucius was there?"

He turned his head and looked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked her. "Are you asking me how or why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He was at least glad that the subject had changed off Snape, but he wished they didn't have to talk about what had happened. But he knew they would have to sooner or later.

She smiled at his eyebrow-raising. "Well, both, I guess...how did you know to come down? Or if you didn't know to come down...then why did you?," she asked with a slightly curious expression.

He took a deep breath. "I had gone up to the owlery. I was..." he paused. "I was watching you from up there. That's when I saw Lucius and I ran...er...tripped all the way down the stairs," he said with a laugh.

Wenny smiled a bit at hearing him laugh, she hadn't heard that in a bit. She thought the fact that he had been watching her from the owlery was sweet, and it made her think of of guardian angel or something. "Well, thank you for watching over me," she said quietly. She didn't want to think of what might've happened if he hadn't been.

He sighed and stopped, and then turned Wenny by her shoulders to face him. "I'm going to make this up to you," he told her, glancing down at her lips.

Wenny felt herself blushing as she noticed the direction of his gaze. "Oh really?," she teased, "and how do you plan on doing that?" She couldn't help but grin.

"You tell me," Carl said quietly. "All I want is to make all of this better," he said, touching her cheek. He quickly put his hand back down. He was still afraid of doing something wrong again, that she didn't want him to do.

Wenny watched him, not quite sure of what to tell him. What _would_ make everything ok again? Probably just _time._ She reached down and took his hand and put it back on her cheek, and closed her eyes for a moment before giving him a soft kiss. "Just love me. And promise me that that will never change." As long as he loved her, _truly_ loved her, she was sure he would do his best not to disappoint her.

Carl returned the kiss, closing his eyes. "Always," he said softly against her lips, one hand still on her cheek and the other on her arm. He pulled away after a moment and cleared his throat. Why was this so hard for him? He wished it would go away.

She noticed him pull away and looked at him curiously for a moment. She was trying to make everything ok, so why was he still pulling away from her? It was almost as if he was still walking away, the only difference being that he was still standing infront of her. "I'm trying, Carl...," she said quietly.

Carl took another deep breath and closed his eyes as he leaned in and kissed her gently again. "I know," he said quietly against her lips. "Wenny?" he asked her, his lips resting against hers. "I love you."

She nodded slightly before returning the kiss, "I love you, too." She reached up and gently touched his cheek as she kissed him once more. And as much as she would've liked to have stayed there kissing him all night, she figured they might get into trouble if a Professor happened to find them. "I guess we should go to our dorms," she said quietly, her lips still against his.

"Yeah," he said quietly. He pulled away and sighed, looking down the hall in both directions. Then he suddenly put both of his hands on her cheeks and kissed her deeply.

At that moment, all the events of the evening were gone from her mind, as well as the worry of them being caught by a Professor. Nothing or no one existed but she and Carl. She put one of her her hands on his as they continued the kiss.

Carl turned slightly and walked a little bit until Wenny's back was against the wall. He continued to kiss her as one of his hands moved to her neck.

Wenny continued the kiss as she reached up and ran one hand through Carl's hair, ending with her hand on the back of his neck, her fingers still in his hair.

Earlier that evening, Wenny had felt what it might be like not to have Carl any more and it wasn't something she ever wanted to feel again. And she wanted to be sure he knew that.

Carl ran his thumb over her cheek a few times. He wanted to be with her right then more than anything. He paused, but kept his lips against hers. "We should probably be getting back," he said quietly, keeping his eyes closed.

She knew he was right, but she couldn't force herself away from him at that moment. She loved being this close to him. "You're right, we should," she replied, barely above a whisper, though she didn't move.

They stood there for a moment, their lips resting against each others', before Carl began kissing her deeply again, not quite ready to let her go back to her dormitory.

Wenny continued the kiss for a few minutes and then, regrettably, ended it. "If we don't stop, we're going to get in big trouble on our first official day back," she said with a slight smirk.

He sighed, keeping his eyes closed. "I knew you were going to do that," he said as he slowly opened his eyes. "Come on," he said, slowly taking her hand in his and starting to walk out of the hall they were in.

"And what's what supposed to mean?," she asked, looking at him rather amused.

"Well, it's not like we could've stayed like this all night long, could we?" he asked, pulling her by her arm into him and giving her another kiss, before pulling away grinning.

"You're such a tease," she said with a laugh, watching him. She loved that about him, though. Ok, so she loved everything about him, but still.

"I love you too," he said with a laugh. Then he looked at her seriously. "I love you," he said, giving her another kiss and then starting to walk again. "If you want me to carry you, just say so," he said with a smirk.

Wenny giggled at first, then looked at him seriously as well, "I love you, too." She put her arm through his as they walked, so she could feel closer to him. Then she heard his last comment. "Oh yes, I am just so very weak...," she said, dramatically putting a hand to her forehead before laughing.

He grinned and bent down, picking her up off her feet. "Better?" he asked her with a smirk as he kept walking down the hall.

"Mmmhmm," she said, grinning, as she put her arms around his neck. She nuzzled his neck for a moment before leaning up and kissing his jaw.

Carl stopped and closed his eyes. "You know, at this rate we'll never get there," he said quietly, turning his head to kiss her on the lips.

Wenny giggled lightly, then placed another few kisses along his jaw. "Ok, I'll stop," she said, nuzzling his neck again.

"Oh, you're not getting off that easily," he said with a smirk as he looked down at her. He gently began placing soft kisses along her neck.

"This is so not fair," she said with a laugh, closing her eyes. He knew the effect this had on her, and she knew that was precisely why he was doing it.

He continued kissing her neck for a few moments before stopping and smiling at her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He started walking down the hall again.

Wenny watched him for a moment before starting to walk along with him again. "Do you have any idea how crazy you make me?," she asked, looking over at him with a grin. Everything he did seemed to make her want him more. He had once joked about her 'addiction' to him and the funny thing was, he was right. Wenny was completely addicted to Carl.

He looked at her, smiling and raising an eyebrow. "Not as crazy as you make me I bet," he told her. It was true that this girl made him crazy, made his heart flutter when she was around, and could make him stop dead in his tracks.

Wenny grinned and put her arm through his again, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked. She wasn't looking forward to reaching her common room, since it would mean saying goodbye to Carl. Of course, it was already nearly morning, so they wouldn't be apart for long. But, she didn't want them to be apart at all.

Carl smiled down at her and kissed her on the top of her head. They reached the corridor and Carl turned to look at Wenny. "I'll see you in the morning," he said, not wanting to make having to leave her again any worse than it was.

She nodded, "ok." She wasn't sure what else to say. Well, there were several things she _wanted_ to say, but if she actually said them, they'd probably stand in the hallway the rest of what was left of the night.

Wenny gave him a small smile and then kissed his cheek, "night." Then she gave a little wave and turned to go into her common room.

Carl watched her for a moment, wanting to stop her and say with her until morning. But he didn't. "Good night," he said barely above a whisper. Then he turned around and headed down the halls to the dungeons.

Wenny quietly snuck up to her dorm, hoping none of her dorm mates were awake and had noticed that she had been gone most of the night. Unfortunately, as soon as she opened the door, she heard "Wenny?" With a sigh, she answered "yes." The girl sat up and looked at her, "where have you been? Wait, don't tell me...I don't wanna know." Wenny rolled her eyes and laughed quietly, "get your mind out of the gutter. I'll tell ya about it later. I just wanna sleep now."

Though, she wasn't sure she would actually be able to sleep. But after a while of staring into the darkness, Wenny did eventually fall asleep.

Carl opened the entrance into the common room, and before he knew what happened, he felt a sharp pain in his jaw. His eyes closed as he winced. He opened his eyes and saw Malfoy standing there. Carl cursed at Malfoy. "What the hell!?" he screamed, holding his hand up to his face.

"You are going to pay for what you've done," Draco said.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. If you don't mind, I'd like some sleep before I do though," he said sarcastically, walking past Draco and up the stairs. He could feel Malfoy's eyes on the back of his head as he did. He laid down on his bed and fell asleep after a moment.


	19. Friends & Frogs

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Nineteen: Friends & Frogs**

As usual, Wenny woke up late the next morning and discovered that not only did the _one_ dorm mate know she had been out all night, but now the other three knew as well. They all had their questions about where she had been and who she had been with, but she simply told them that she wasn't in the mood to talk about it. She promised to tell them about it later, though, and thankfully, they actually left her alone after that.

She didn't want to totally shun her dorm mates, though, so she actually walked down to breakfast and sat at the table with them. Occasionally, she would glance around, trying to see if Carl had come down yet.

Carl woke up and looked around. He was relieved to see no one in the dorm. He wouldn't doubt if he had to look around every corner for Malfoy. He got some fresh clothes and walked down to the common room, finding a few second and third years still in there. He walked out into the corridor and made his way to the Great Hall and then walked in, seeing Draco and his friends already at the table. Then he saw Wenny and smiled at her and went to sit down.

Wenny saw Carl enter the Great Hall and couldn't help but smile. She also couldn't help but wish they were able to sit together during mealtimes. Stupid house tables. And house common rooms.

She watched him as he went to sit down and her eyes happened to notice Draco Malfoy. She had almost forgotten about the events of the previous night; Carl hitting Draco, Draco hitting Carl, Lucius Malfoy almost killing both her and Carl.

Wenny frowned thinking about Carl being stuck in a house with Draco. She hoped Draco wasn't causing too much trouble for Carl, though it was Draco Malfoy. Of course he was causing trouble. Her mind started wondering, trying to think of anything that might get Carl out of Malfoy's house. She decided to talk to Carl about it later.

Carl sighed as he looked down at the table, and then looked up and smiled at Wenny. Then he looked down the table, meeting Draco's glare and glared right back, but then looked back down at the table again. He couldn't possibly eat anything right now.

Wenny noticed Carl's glare towards Draco, and wondered if something had happened after Carl had left her at her common room. Maybe it was just over Draco sending his dad after them, but for some reason, she doubted it.

She was tempted to go sit by Carl, but she didn't want to cause him even more trouble...as she was sure the Slytherins would not be too happy about a Hufflepuff sitting at their table. But maybe Carl could sit at _her_ table? Her dorm mates had been wanting to meet him anyway. She'd just have to convince Dumbledore or Snape that it was in Carl's best interest to switch tables.

She decided to try Dumbledore. He happened to be walking around, since breakfast hadn't started yet, and she was able to catch him alone. She told him her concerns about Carl being in the house with Malfoy and asked if there was a way he could temporarily change tables at mealtimes. To her surprise, Dumbledore agreed that it was in Carl's best interest and left it to her to tell him. She thanked the Professor and walked over to where Carl was sitting, "hey."

Carl looked up when he heard Wenny speak to him. "Hey," he said, turning around to look at her. He smiled at her as he noticed her tone and the look on her face. "What's going on?" he asked slowly, grinning from curiousity.

"You are coming to sit with me," she answered with a grin. She quickly glanced towards Draco, giving him quick glare before turning her attention back to Carl, "but only if you want to, of course."

"Really?" he asked, standing up and looking over at the Hufflepuff table. "Did you ask a professor or something?" he asked, looking around and catching Draco's glare again.

"Of course I did," she answered with a slight laugh. "Come on, I'll tell you all about it after I introduce you," she waited to see his reaction. She couldn't just have him, a Slytherin, sit at the Hufflepuff table without introducing him to at least her dorm mates.

"Uhhh...introduce me?" he asked, looking back at her and feeling a bit uncomfortable. He sighed and smiled. "Anything for you," he told her, taking her hand.

He smiled like nothing was wrong, but he couldn't help that his mind raced through everything that had happened last night. He hated it, and he really hoped his feeling of guilt wouldn't last too long.

Wenny smiled at him, "yes, introduce you. You can't expect to sit at the Hufflepuff table without at least telling them who you are. And thank you." She wanted to kiss him for his last comment, but since they were in the middle of the Great Hall, she restrained herself.

She led him over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down, making room for him beside her. She then introduced Carl to the others, telling them that Carl was going to be eating meals with them for a while. She didn't go into details about why, as she figured they really didn't need to know.

Her dorm mates were all polite to him and welcomed him to the table, though one girl in particular gave him an interested look. Wenny turned to her with a playful glare and the girl just laughed. "Don't mind that one," Wenny told Carl, "she's harmless." Though, she was the one who had told the others about Wenny being out all night.

He laughed as he was sitting next to Wenny, smiling at each of them in turn. He held onto her hand under the table and then moved his hand and put it on her leg. He used his other hand and took a sip of pumpkin juice and grinned at Wenny.

Wenny looked over at Carl and grinned slightly, trying not to give anything away to any of the other people sitting around them at the table. But, of course, her mind was currently not on the other people sitting at the table, but rather was on Carl. Without looking at him, she put her hand on top of his.

He smiled at her as he sat the goblet of pumpkin juice back on the table. He was glad it was Sunday so they wouldn't have to go to any of their classes today. It felt kind of weird sitting at the Hufflepuff table, but yet sitting with Wenny at the Hufflepuff table felt so right.

The rest of breakfast went by fairly uneventful. The Hufflepuffs seemed to like Carl, as Wenny had expected, and had no problem with the fact that he was in Slytherin. Wenny was just happy to have him with her, as she had hated sitting so far away from him during mealtimes.

Once everyone was finished and the others had started leaving the Great Hall, Wenny turned to Carl. "So? What did you think?" She was rather interested in what he had thought of the Hufflepuffs, as the Slytherins tended to look down on them. Though, she knew Carl wasn't an ordinary Slytherin.

"They seem nice," he said, not really sure what else to say. At least it was probably better sharing a common room with them than the people he shared his with. He looked over at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy and his cronies. "Better than them anyways," he muttered, turning back to Wenny. He suddenly became surprised that he hadn't done something to Malfoy the night before after he punched him.

Wenny sighed, "are they still giving you trouble? ...Of course they are," she said, answering her own question. "I wish there were a way you could change houses," she said, "well, only if you wanted to, of course." Perhaps, Carl liked being in Slytherin, even with Malfoy being the git he was.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Part of him wanted to of course. Wanted to be with Wenny all the time, wanted to share a common room, and dorm, with her. But another part of him somehow knew that he was meant to be in Slytherin. He thought about why for a moment. Then he remembered Snape was his 'real' father and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said, watching him. She really hated the thought of him being in such a situation. "There has to be _something_ we can do to keep Malfoy away from you," she said, thinking.

"There's always something," he said. "But of course they're all either against the law or against school rules," he told her with a smirk.

"Carrrl," she said, laughing. "If you don't want to leave Slytherin permanently, perhaps Dumbledore would allow for some kind of temporary change of house? Just until this situation is settled?" She wasn't sure if it was even possible, but it was the best she could come up with at the moment.

Carl sighed and looked down at the table for a few moments before looking back up at her. "What makes you think this situation is going to be settled at all, Wenny?" he asked her. He did like her idea, but the thought that all of the Slytherins would think he was some sort of wimp, like he was running away from them, kept tugging at his mind.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, "well, it has to be settled eventually, doesn't it?" She couldn't help but wonder why he had said that. But what if he was right? The thought of what might happen scared her a bit.

He sighed. "Wenny, think of how long some of the other problems that are going on right now have been going on." He ran his hand through his hair. "Lets not think about that right now. It's early. We can talk to Dumbledore tonight maybe. But we need to think of something to do on our last day off before we have to go back to classes."

He put his hand on her cheek and gave her a quick, soft kiss, not caring if anybody saw them. "Come on," he said quietly, standing up and taking her hand. He knew that they both weren't going to be able to not think about it, but he could at least try to take their minds off of it.

Wenny stood up, taking Carl's hand, and walked with him out of the Great Hall. She wondered where they were going and what they could do to get their minds off of their situation. "Were you able to sleep any after you went back to your common room this morning?" It wasn't the most exciting topic, but she was trying.

"I think about ten minutes worth," he said with a laugh. "What about you?" he asked her as they walked into the Entrance Hall. Remembering that it was a Hogsmeade weekend, he led them out onto the grounds. He was shocked he hadn't thought about that earlier, but he figured it was because there had been so much going on.

"Well, it took me a while to actually fall asleep, of course," she started, purposely leaving out the part about her dorm mate questioning her about being out of her dorm, "but then, I slept a little late this morning." As she always did, she was not much of a morning person. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he said with a smirk as they got onto the grounds and Carl turned onto the path to Hogsmeade. He figured most of the students had already left which was why practically no one else could be seen on the path.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes. "There you go with your _teasing_ again," she said with a slight laugh. She grinned as she put her arm through his, "my dorm mate was awake when I got back this morning." She wasn't going to tell him, but then thought he might find it amusing. "She questioned me on where I had been..." She glanced over at him, grinning.

Carl looked at her seriously for a moment, wondering if she had told her. Then his eyes got wider as he realized what she was saying. "Oh," he said, laughing. He decided not to tell her what had happened with Malfoy when he got back. It wasn't that big of a deal anyways.

Wenny laughed, "yeah. You're ruining my reputation." Considering what had _really_ happened the previous night, it was rather odd to think that others were so clueless to their situation.

"Well, I'm so sorry," he said with a laugh. He looked down the path and saw the tops of the buildings in Hogsmeade. He really wasn't sure he was up for being around alot of people, but there was always The Hog's Head. There was practically no one who would go in there. _We could also go up to the Shrieking Shack,_ he thought.

"You should be," Wenny said, smirking. Noticing that they were getting closer to Hogsmeade, she decided to ask again about their destination. "So, am I allowed to know where we're going yet?"

Carl laughed. "I would've thought you'd be able to figure that out by now," he said with a smirk. "I don't know. Where do you want to go?" he asked her, looking around as the buildings got bigger.

"Well, of course, it's Hogsmeade, but I thought maybe you had a more specific place in mind," she replied with a laugh. "Umm...," she started, trying to think of the different Hogsmeade shops, "well, I suppose we can just go for a drink, if you'd like?"

"Sure," he said. "Anywhere in particular?" he asked her as he could begin making out the people on the streets between the shops and bars.

"Well, there's the Three Broomsticks," she said. Though, she didn't particularly care where they went. She just enjoyed being with him. With that thought in mind, she looked over at him and smiled.

He smiled back. "Anywhere you want to go," he told her, giving her a soft kiss. Although he didn't want to be around alot of people, it didn't really matter as long as they could be alone later. He was kind of thirsty anyways.

"You're too sweet to me," she replied with a slight smile.

They reached the Three Broomsticks, went inside, and found a table. Rosmerta came over to take their order. "I'll just take a butterbeer," Wenny said, glancing over at Carl.

"Same," he told her, nodding. He took out a few sickles from his pocket and put them on the table and turned to Wenny, smiling at her. "So, you got any plans for after this?" he asked her.

"Oh, well...I was thinking about just going back to my dorm and sleeping for a while," she said casually, before looking over at him with a grin.

"Oh," Carl said, pretending to be hurt. "Well, yea, I guess I don't blame you," he said quietly. "Not much sleep and all," he said, frowning and looking down at the table. A grin curled on one side of his lips as he glanced up at Wenny and then quickly back down at the table.

Wenny giggled at his act and leaned over and kissed his cheek, "you are too cute, ya know that?"

He laughed as turned to her. "Oh, well of course! Just not as cute as you," he said, kissing her on her lips.

"Awwww," Wenny said, laughing a bit before returning the kiss. She then looked at him, raising one eyebrow, "do _you_ have any plans for after this?"

He sighed as he put his chin in his hand, thinking. After a few moments, he said, "I got nothing." He laughed and then smiled at her, "What about you? Any ideas?"

"Hmmm...well, we really could sleep...," she said, remembering him mentioning the Room of Requirement before. She figured she'd try to make him think she meant alone, however, to see what he'd say. "Neither one of us got too much sleep, and we do have classes tomorrow...so I suppose it would be best."

"Yeah, I guess," he said quietly, looking back down at the table. Their drinks came and Carl took a small sip, keeping his gaze down at the table. He was tired, but he hadn't thought Wenny would really suggest that since this was their last full day together before the week of classes began. He sighed sadly.

Wenny took a sip of her butterbeer, keeping her eyes on Carl. Finally, thinking he had suffered enough, she looked at him. "Do you honestly think I would rather sleep than to be with you?"

He gave a huff and then gave her a playful glare. "I'm going to get you for that," he told her with a smirk as he took another sip of butterbeer.

"I look forward to it," she replied, grinning at him over the rim of her cup as she took another sip.

He laughed as he took another sip and then sat down his drink, looking at Wenny. "Oh, I bet you do," he told her with a grin.

Wenny watched him for a moment, "you had mentioned the Room of Requirement once. I was thinking that maybe we could go in there later..." After all, they really could use some sleep, and she seemed to sleep better with him nearby. Though, she knew they wouldn't _only_ be sleeping. Or at least she _hoped_ they wouldn't be.

"Sure," he said, smiling at her. He had to stop his smile from spreading too widely across his face. He looked around the bar, but not really taking anything in. He picked up his drink and finished it off.

Wenny watched him for a moment, then finished her own drink. "So, after this...would you want to maybe stop by Honeydukes? Or Zonkos?"

"I told you, anywhere you want," he said, smiling at her as he put his chin in his hand again. He kind of sat there staring at her for a moment.

Wenny noticed his stare and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing a bit. She wasn't sure what to say, so she glanced around the bar.

Carl laughed. "You're cute when you blush," he told her, putting his hand on her cheek. "You want to go?" he asked her, still staring at her.

She gave him a shy smile and then nodded, "ok." She watched him for a moment, "is everything ok?"

He smiled at her as he stood up, taking her hand. He nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine," he told her, realizing something. "But you know what? I know the secret to taking my mind off of things. You," he whispered in her ear.

Hearing Carl whispering that in her ear, Wenny blushed for the second time in five minutes. She stood up and gave him another shy smile before walking out of the Three Broomsticks with him. "So, um, I guess we can stop by Honeydukes...," she said. She was trying to stall them going back to the castle because she was slowly starting to doubt that she'd be able to behave. Not that she had really planned to anyway.

"Sure," he said as they walked in the direction of Honeydukes. Carl grinned over at Wenny. "You sure are blushing alot," he said with a laugh. He put his arm around her and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her forehead.

"Well, it's your fault," she said with a slight grin.

"I proudly except the blame," he told her, smiling. He laughed and kept walking in the direction of Honeydukes until they reached it and he opened the door and held it open for her. "Ladies first," he said, grinning.

"Thank you," she said playfully, then turned to him once they were both inside the shop. "You know, with as sweet as you are being, one might think you had some kind of hidden agenda," she said, raising an eyebrow. Though, in all honesty, he was always sweet to her, she just wanted to tease him a bit.

Carl looked hurt as he walked close to her and bent his head down to talk in her ear. "Me? A hidden agenda? Oh, come on. You don't really think that do you?" he asked as he walked to stand infront of her and kissed her once on the side of her neck. He began walking backwards, smirking at her and then turned around.

Wenny stood there for a moment after his kiss, blushing yet again, then quickly followed him. "You, my dear sir, are _bad_," she said, grinning.

He laughed as he put his arm back around her. "Pick something out," he told her. "Pick out anything. In fact, get as much as you want," he said, smiling.

She watched him for a moment, "may I ask what has gotten you in such a good mood?" Though, she was pretty sure her little mention of the Room of Requirement had a bit to do with it.

"Well, you of course!" he answered with a grin. It's not like he hadn't been with her before his mood changed. Maybe it was the fresh air or the fact that they hadn't been attacked today yet. And her suggestion of using the Room.

"Uh huh," she said, skeptically, then laughed. She still had her own ideas of why he had the sudden mood change, but she wasn't going to say anything.

They walked around the store and Wenny picked up a few chocolate frogs, her favorite candy. "Is there anything you want?," she asked, glancing around the shop.

"Nope, I'm just peachy," he told her, smiling. He looked around at the things on the shelves. He saw some lemon candies and laughed, remembering him wishing for Dumbledore to choke on one. He shook it out of his head and turned back to Wenny.

"Peachy?," she asked with a laugh, "no more butterbeer for you."

After they had paid for their purchases and left the shop, Wenny looked at him, "so where to now?"

"Wherever you so desire!" he said. "Oh dear," he said, putting his hand to his head. "I think you're right about that butterbeer," he said with a laugh.

Wenny laughed, "come on, we better get you back to the castle. While you at least have the ability to walk." She took his hand in hers and started back towards Hogwarts.

He laughed as he held onto her hand. "Oh come on. Play nice," he said, laughing more. But the second he saw Draco inside Zonko's, he stopped.

"What is it?," she asked, then followed his gaze and saw Draco. "Let's just go...he hasn't seen us yet," she said quietly.

"Yeah, ok," he said quietly, turning back around and starting to walk again. He wouldn't mind going into that place and beating the living hell out of Malfoy, but he actually had other things on his mind for once.

Wenny continued walking with Carl, but kept watching him, "are you ok?" He had been so cheerful a few minutes ago. She hoped seeing Draco wouldn't ruin their afternoon.

Carl looked at her and smiled. "I'm fine," he told her. He sighed. "I got another punch from Malfoy last night though." He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. He punches like a girl," he said with a laugh. It just means that he wouldn't give up.

"Carl!," she said as she stopped walking and turned to look at him, "wasn't a big deal? You can't be in a house where you're being punched all the time." She put a hand on his cheek, "I'm really worried about you."

Carl closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm fine, Wenny. Really, I am. I can stick up for myself. You know I can." After he said it, he looked down at the ground. Sure he could stick up for himself, but she probably thought the only way he could do that was with anger and unforgivables.

"Yes, I know you can," she said with a slight smile. She watched him for a moment, noticing how down he looked. "Carl, you shouldn't even have to worry about this, though," she said quietly, as she put her arms around him, "I'm so sorry."

He slowly put his arms around her, smelling her hair. "Don't worry about it. Please," he said quietly. He didn't want her to worry about it, _any_ of it. And it was his fault that she was.

She smiled a little, "you know that's asking the impossible." She looked up at him and added, "but I'll try not to, if it'll make you feel better."

He returned the smile and nodded. "But I don't want you to worry about not worrying about it," he said with a laugh, knowing how she was constantly worrying about _something_.

Wenny laughed, "that might be asking a bit too much." She pulled away and took his hand and started walking again. Draco hitting Carl was still on her mind, of course, though she wouldn't have told him that.

He held onto her hand as they headed back towards the castle. He started regretting telling Wenny about the punch. _It could have at least waited,_ he thought. He hated making her worry.

Noticing how troubled Carl looked, Wenny glanced over at him. "Well, the effects of the butterbeer seem to be wearing off," she said with a slight grin. She was trying to get him to relax and go back to being as cheerful as he had been a few moments earlier. Though, she knew it probably wouldn't happen.

He laughed quietly. "Yeah, I guess so," he said. He put his arm around Wenny and walked close to her. "I'll be fine in a little while," he told her, smiling.

"You better be," she replied, "because I don't want anything ruining our day today." After a few moments, she looked over at him, "so...about this hidden agenda..."

Carl put on his hurt face again. "I thought we talked about this, Wenny. Me? Have an agenda? Wait a minute," he said, raising an eyebrow. "If it's so hidden, then how come you know about it?" he asked her, giving her a playful suspicous look.

Wenny laughed, "because I'm good like that." She paused for a moment before adding, "and you're right, you haven't hidden it at all. In fact, it's rather obvious that you definitely have an agenda. And don't give me that hurt look." She smirked at him.

He smirked right back and before any of them could say anything else, he bent down and picked her up and started walking towards the castle again.

Wenny laughed when Carl picked her up, "I _can_ walk, ya know." She was only teasing, of course, as she loved being in his arms.

"Oh really? Well, I'm sure you can swim too. Does that mean you want me to just drop you off in the lake on the way back to the castle?" he asked her, smirking.

"How rude," she said, laughing, "don't make me kiss you."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want that," Carl said with a laugh. Then he kissed her on the lips and then a couple of times on her neck.

Wenny closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy his kisses. "It's a good thing you're currently carrying me," she said with a grin.

He laughed as he stopped kissing her and they got closer to the castle. Once they reached the stairs into the Entrance Hall, he put Wenny back on her feet and then put his hands on her cheeks. "I love you, Wenny," he told her, feeling like he hadn't said that to her in awhile.

She just looked at him for a moment, thinking about how much she loved hearing him say that. "I love you, too," she said quietly.


	20. Room of Requirement

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty: Room of Requirement**

Carl kissed Wenny once more and then took her hand and led her up the stairs into the Entrance Hall. "So, Room of Requirement to take a nap?" he asked, smiling at her.

Wenny nodded, but couldn't help but grin at how childish the word 'nap' made them seem.

She watched closely where they were going as she walked with Carl towards the Room of Requirement, trying to memorize how to get there incase she ever needed to get there in the future.

They reached the location of the Room of Requirement, but there was no visible door. Carl turned to Wenny, holding her shoulders. "Watch this," he said, grinning.

He walked back and forth three times infront of the wall where the door should be. He thought to himself what they needed and a door suddenly appeared.

Wenny watched Carl walking back and forth, and wondered what he was doing. When she saw the door appear, she looked at him, surprised. "How did you do that??"

He grinned and walked over to the door and opened it, motioning for Wenny to go inside. When they were both inside, he looked both ways down the hall and then quietly closed the door behind them.

As he turned to look around the room, Carl couldn't help but blush slightly. There was a very large bed in the center of the room that looked extremely comfortable, vases of roses on a few tables, and rose petals scattered around the floor. Candles were floating around in midair close to the ceiling.

"Well, that's kind of strange," he said, grinning. "I wonder what made it do all this."

Wenny looked around the room and looked at Carl, "it's not always like this, is it?" She couldn't really imagine Hogwarts having such a room. But, stranger things had happened. Then she put two and two together and blushed herself. "Oh," she said with a nervous laugh.

Carl walked over to her and put his hand on her neck and kissed her deeply for a moment. Then he pulled away and looked over at the bed. "I've got to try that," he said with a grin as he walked over to it and sat down. Then he laid down on it and closed his eyes, suddenly realizing how tired he was.

Seeing how it had been her idea to take a nap in the first place, and the fact that there was only one bed in the room, Wenny walked over to the bed and sat down on the other side. She looked over at Carl and smiled at how peaceful he looked, and then glanced around the room once more before lying down beside Carl and closing her eyes.

Carl opened one of his eyes and saw Wenny. He turned to look at her as he opened both his eyes, and then smiled as he closed his eyes again. The bed was awfully comfortable.

Without opening her eyes, Wenny rolled over so that she was facing Carl, and reached out and put a hand on his arm. She just liked knowing he was there with her. "Well, goodnight, I suppose," she said with a yawn, then smiled.

"Even though it's in the middle of the day," he said quietly, grinng and keeping his eyes closed. "I love you," he said softly.

"Yep," she said with a laugh. Then added, "I love you more," and grinned.

Carl opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he asked, moving his eyes to look at her.

"Yep," she replied again with a laugh, "really." She opened her eyes and grinned at him.

He smirked and said, "We'll see about that." He leaned over to her and kissed her on her lips.

Wenny laughed, "I can do better than that." She returned his kiss, but a little more passionately.

Carl continued the kiss for a few moments, putting his hand on her cheek. He didn't want to stop, but after awhile, he moved to start kissing her neck.

With every passing moment of Carl's kisses, Wenny could feel her every worry fading from existance. She put a hand on the back of his neck and whispered, "you win."

"Good," he said and smirked as he stopped kissing her and rolled back over on the bed and closed his eyes. "Good night," he said, still grinning, wondering if she was just going to let him stop.

Wenny laughed, "night." _Two can play that game,_ she thought with a smirk. She rolled over, facing away from Carl and yawned loud enough for him to hear.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said out loud as he grabbed her shoulder and turned her back towards him and kissed her deeply again.

Wenny continued the kiss for a few moments and then laughed, "you're hopeless."

Carl laughed and then raised an eyebrow and began kissing her on her neck again.

Normally, Wenny would've made a comment about them getting into trouble, as she usually did. Though, given that she wasn't even sure she'd actually be able to speak at the current moment and the fact of where they were at, she simply let herself get lost in his kisses.

He grinned and kept kissing her, slowly going from one side to the other and stroking her hair with his hand.

Wenny was beginning to feel rather intoxicated, and gently ran her fingers through his hair. She knew where this was headed, but felt unable to stop herself. Not that she wanted to.

Carl moved her hair behind her ear as he kissed up her neck to kiss behind her ear. Seeing the look on her face, he was glad that he was hopefully taking her mind off other things. But as for him, when he wanted nothing more than to not think about it, that's when he thought about it most. But he didn't let Wenny know this.

Wenny turned enough to recapture his lips with hers as she reached up and held his face in her hands. She loved the feeling of not thinking or worrying about anything but him.

He smiled against her lips as he continued the kiss and deepened it. He felt like his mind was slowly fogging up and he couldn't think straight, but he liked it.

Wenny continued the kiss for a few moments, then grinned, "I thought we were supposed to be sleeping."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, smirking as he laid back on the bed on his back and closed his eyes and pretended to snore.

Wenny playfully hit Carl and laughed, "very funny." She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him for a moment before gently running a finger down the side of his face.

He opened his eyes and turned to look at her, smiling. He took her hand and kissed it softly, smiling up at her as he looked into her eyes.

Wenny smiled as Carl kissed her hand. She continued looking at him for a few moments, "I love you so much that it scares me sometimes."

Carl cocked his head and smiled shyly. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. "Don't be scared. Love shouldn't scare you," he said softly in her ear, kissing her cheek.

She closed her eyes as he kissed her cheek, then looked at him. "It does, though," she said quietly. She had never cared for anyone as much as she cared for Carl. And given their situation, she couldn't help but occasionally think of what may happen in the future. What would she do if he were some how killed? She would be _devastated._

He put his arm around her and stayed like that for a few moments, putting his cheek against hers. "I love you more than anybody or anything in this world, Wenny," he told her softly in her ear.

"Good," she said with a slight grin, not taking her cheek off of his. She loved just being with him like this. If only they could lay there forever, safe and secure in each other's arms.

He smiled and put his hand on the back of her head, slightly playing with her hair.

"You know what? I really am sleepy," she said with a shy smile. She wasn't planning on moving from that spot, though.

"Me too," he said quietly with his eyes closed. "Just so you know, there's no way I'm letting go of you though," he said with a smile.

Wenny smiled, "good, 'cause I wasn't planning on letting you." She snuggled up closer to him and closed her eyes.

Carl smiled. "Good," he said, barely a whisper as he held her. He felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep as the happiest he'd ever felt, holding Wenny close to him.

Wenny smiled and yawned quietly. At that moment, there was no where else she would've rather been. She felt safe and loved in his arms.

Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

A few hours later, Carl woke up from what was probably the best sleep he'd had in an extremely long time. Wenny was still in his arms and he smiled.

Wenny felt Carl move a bit, but she continued sleeping. She wasn't quite ready to leave his arms yet.

After a few more minutes, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Carl. She noticed his eyes were closed and she wondered if he was asleep or not. She leaned up and kissed his chin and smiled.

He smiled as he looked down at her and met her lips with his and kissed her. "Good morning," he said with a grin as he kissed her again.

Wenny laughed a little, "good afternoon." She kissed him once more and then laid her head on his chest. "I wonder if anyone has noticed us missing yet?" Not that she really cared.

"I don't know," he said with a slight shrug as he rested his chin on the top of her head. He didn't really care though. The whole school could have been looking for them and he wouldn't care. Ok, maybe just a little.

"Oh well," she said, yawning. "So, what should we do with the rest of our free day?," she asked, glancing up at him.

"What do I want to do? I want to stay right here with you," she said with a slight grin.

"Well, that's boring," he said, smirking. He laughed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and he smiled at her.

"Doesn't have to be," she replied with a smirk, shocking even herself...which then made her blush.

Carl grinned widely, blushing himself too. "Well," he said and cleared his throat. He laughed and then kissed her on her lips.

Wenny laughed, "sorry...I have no idea where that came from. I told you that you make me crazy."

He grinned and tasted her lips again with his. "Then we're even," he said against her lips and then kissed her deeply.

Wenny grinned against his lips and then put a hand on his cheek as she continued the kiss. She still couldn't believe she had actually said that _outloud,_ which made her grin again.

Carl put one hand on her neck and the other around her waist as he continued the kiss and then started kissing her cheek and made his way to her neck again.

Wenny giggled a bit as she felt Carl's kisses moving back down to her neck again. She didn't want to ruin the feeling by trying to speak, so she simply kept the one hand on his cheek and put the other on the back of his neck.

Carl smirked when he heard Wenny giggling, but continued kissing her neck. He ran his hand through her hair as his other hand was on her waist. This girl was the most beautiful person to him, and he wanted her to know that.

Wenny was quickly losing the ability to even think. Her hand came up to join the other on the back of Carl's neck and she held him tightly, as if she were trying to get even closer to him, if that were possible.

Carl noticed and put his hand on her back, pushing her even closer to him and continuing to kiss her neck.

Though she could barely think straight, Wenny knew they should probably stop what they were currently doing. She really didn't want to, though, but she decided to leave the decision up to Carl anyway. "Carl?," she whispered.

He sighed. "I know that tone," he said as he stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes and smiled. "I love you. You know that, don't you?" he said, moving another strand of her hair behind her ear.

Wenny watched him and nodded. She did know that. He had saved her life numerous times, at the possible expense of his own, though, fortunately, it hadn't come down to that. And she knew that there was no reason for her to be hesitant in this situation. They had already done this once before, but for some reason...she was.

"Good," he said quietly as he kissed her gently on her forehead. He held her like that for a few moments.

So was he simply letting it end there? Wenny continued watching him for another moment or two, not sure what he wanted or even what she wanted. Part of her was glad he stopped, but the other part was a bit disappointed.

Carl looked down at her and sighed. "Wenny," he said very quietly. "Are you alright?" he asked her, running his hand through her soft hair.

Wenny looked at him for a moment and then nodded, she wasn't going to push the issue. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

He sighed again. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly. "Maybe we should get out of here?" he suggested. He didn't want to, but thought it might be a little easier on both of them.

Without looking up at him, she nodded again, "Ok, we can do that if you'd like." After a few moments, she sat up, putting her legs over the side of the bed. "We can go down to the quidditch pitch and see if any of the teams are practicing...or something."

He nodded as he sat up beside her. He took her hand in his and stood up off the bed, pulling her up and giving her another kiss.

As she really didn't want to go to the quidditch pitch, Wenny watched Carl for another moment, "do you...do _you_ really want to leave now?" If he said yes, then she would go wherever he wanted to go, but she wanted to make sure that he wasn't doing it simply because he thought it was what _she_ wanted.

Carl grabbed Wenny's shoulders gently and looked down at her seriously. "Wenny, listen to me. I love you. More than anything in this world. If you want me to decide, then I will. But I have a feeling that whatever that may turn out to be, there's going to be some hesitation," he said, raising an eyebrow and grinning at her.

Wenny looked away for a moment, then looked back at him and leaned in and kissed him. She hoped that was enough to let him know her answer.

He kissed her back for a moment and then raised his eyebrow at her again, cocking his head slightly to one side, not quite positive on it.

She had to grin at his expression, then slowly nodded before kissing him again.

Carl grinned as he kissed her back deeply and pushed her back on the bed.

A while later, Carl stretched and turned to Wenny and smiled at her and gently played with the ends of her hair.

"I'm sorry we missed seeing Quidditch practice," Wenny said with a slight grin. Though, she had no complaints.

"Oh yeah," he said with a pouty face. "I was really looking forward to that," he said, now with a smirk.

Wenny laughed a bit, "I know, I'm sorry. I'll try not to distract you next time."

"How do you know I don't like to be distracted?" he asked her, grinning as he tucked another strand of her hair behind her ear and took her hand and gently kissed it.

She grinned, "well, if you do, then I guess I'll just have to distract you more often." She smiled as he kissed her hand. Little things like that always made her smile.

He grinned. "You just might," he said with a quiet laugh. He sat up in the bed and watched her for a moment, smiling.

Wenny gave him a shy smile, then reached up and began tracing shapes on his back with her finger. "Thank you for taking me to Hogsmeade earlier," she said, "well, thanks for everything, actually."

Carl smiled at her. "You know, I never do know exactly why you thank me. It should be me thanking you," he told her.

"Carl, you've really done so much for me, that's why I thank you," she said quietly.

He sighed and smiled at her. "Let's just say we're even then," he told her. Although he believed she had done more for him.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes, "ok then." She sat up beside him, careful to keep the blanket around her. "Ya know, I could deal with never leaving this room," she said with a slight grin.

He put his arm around her. "You know what? So could I," he said, smiling at her and kissing her on her forehead.

Wenny smiled and touched his cheek before leaning over and kissing it. "You know what? I think we missed lunch," she said. Not until she heard herself say that did she start wondering if Snape or Dumbledore had noticed them missing. She shrugged it off, though, thinking that perhaps the professors would simply assume they had been in Hogsmeade the entire time. Or she hoped so anyway.

Carl laughed. "I think so too," he said, turning his head to kiss her on the lips. He leaned his head back and sighed. "You know, we really should probably be going," he said. He knew that it probably wasn't smart staying there all day, although he probably could have.

"Yeah, we should," she replied, watching him. She hated to leave, but at least they knew they could come back to this room whenever they wanted.

After another few minutes of just enjoying being there with him, Wenny got up and quickly dressed, looking over at Carl every few minutes, and then walked over to him and kissed him, "I love you."

Carl couldn't help but smile to himself whenever he saw Wenny look over at him. She was beautiful in every way imaginable.

When she walked back over to him, he smiled as he returned her kiss. "I love you too." He stood up and got out of the bed and put his own clothes back on, and then walked back over to Wenny and smiled, kissing her again.

"You better stop kissing me or we'll never get out of this room," she said with a slight smirk.

He kissed her again. "What are you going to do about it?" he teased as put an arm around her to pull her close and kept kissing her.

Wenny laughed. "Not a thing," she said as she put her arms around his neck and returned the kisses.

Carl laughed, too, and continued the kiss for a moment before finally pulling away. "You're right. I better stop if we want to ever leave this room," he said, grinning.

She watched him for a moment and grinned, "well, I don't think either of us really _want_ to leave this room." Unfortunately, she knew they had to eventually.

He smiled and said, "Well, in that case..." He trailed off and leaned back in and kissed her again.

Wenny laughed, "you are so addicted to me." She continued kissing him for a moment. "I can't say that I blame you, though," she said with a smirk.

"Oh really?" he said, laughing. He pulled away reluctantly and took her hands, taking her with him. He knew they probably really did need to leave.

"Well, I _am_ smart, beautiful, talented, and a _really_ good kisser," she said, trying to keep a straight face, as she walked with him to the door.

Carl took Wenny and put her back to the door. "You are? I haven't really noticed. I just might have to try that out," he said, grinning. He kissed her again.

Wenny laughed and continued the kiss, doing her best to prove her kissing prowess, then grinned at him. "Well?"

He put his chin in his hand. "Well...Oh, I don't know. I need to try that again," he said, refraining from laughing best he could as he kissed her again.

Laughing again, Wenny said "ya know, you are making it very difficult to prove myself since you keep making me laugh." Of course, she didn't let that stop her as she kissed him again, even more passionately.

Carl continued kissing her. After a long while, he stopped, but kept his lips against hers. "I think I have to give you an eleven out of ten I'm afraid," he said very quietly against her lips.

He smiled as he kissed her back again. "Ok, a twenty," he said quietly with his eyes closed. He laughed as he opened them again and reaching past her to grab the doorknob.

Wenny smirked, "that's better, thank you." She felt him reach for the doorknob, "awww, do we _have_ to leave?" She put her hand on his then turned to him and kissed his cheek, "thank you for today." Though, the day wasn't over.

"Thank _you,_" he said quietly. He didn't open the door right away, but kissed her yet again. "I think this addiction thing is getting worse," he told her with a quiet laugh.

She laughed. "It does seem that way. And unfortunately, I don't think there's a cure," she said, frowning playfully.

Carl sighed and then shrugged. "Just one more," he said, grinning as he kissed her deeply and passionately for a moment before turning the doorknob.

Wenny was extremely tempted to pull his hand away from the doorknob, close the door, and continue that kiss...but if she did, they probably wouldn't leave the room and she figured they really did need to make an appearance at dinner. She sighed before opening the door, "back to reality."

"Unfortunately," Carl said.


	21. Nosies & Nosebleeds

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-One: Nosies & Nosebleeds**

Once the door was open, it was like the school had just now appeared there and Wenny and Carl had been miles and years away from it inside that room.

Wenny glanced both ways down the corridor before stepping out of the room. She hoped there wasn't anyone near by who might know where they had been. She took Carl's hand in hers as she started down the corridor. "Well, that was fun," she said, glancing over at him.

He smiled as he held onto her hand and said, "Sure was." He looked over at her. "Hidden agendas," he muttered, rolling his eyes playfully. "Psh, please," he said, grinning at her.

Wenny laughed, having forgotten about that particular comment. "I believe the words you are looking for are 'mission accomplished'?," she said without looking over at him, for fear that she'd turn beet red.

Carl laughed and put his arm around her. "Mission accomplished," he whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek. He laughed again and looked down the hall, wondering where they should go that hopefully wouldn't grow too much suspicion as to where they had really been.

Wenny blushed a bit and laughed at his words. She then put her arm around his waist as they walked through the corridors. They were almost to the Entrance Hall when they heard, "so where have you two been?" Wenny winced as she saw her dorm mate standing nearby, smirking.

"We just went on a tour of the castle," she said, hoping she wasn't blushing. "Must've been some tour, since I haven't seen you guys practically _all day,"_ the girl replied with a laugh.

Carl looked at the girl. "You know, this castle is pretty darn big," he said, playing cool. "Plus we were in Hogsmeade earlier and spent some time out on the grounds. But you know what?" he said, cocking his head. "I don't think we should have to explain ourselves anyways. Do you, Wenny?" he said, smiling from the girl to Wenny. He wasn't trying to be rude, and he hoped it didn't come out that way.

Wenny shook her head and laughed a little, "We shouldn't." She turned to the girl, "He's right, ya know. We did spend half the morning in Hogsmeade."

"Very well then," the girl replied with a sigh, "but next time, you might wanna try to be a little less obvious, Wenny." She smirked and Wenny knew the girl knew, which caused her to blush again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Wenny replied, "See ya at dinner." She gave the girl a slight smile as they walked away. She should've known _she_ would figure it out. The girl was practically a detective. And a gossip. A thought that made Wenny wince again.

Carl walked away with Wenny, his arm around her. "You're ok, right?" he asked her, hoping she wasn't too messed up over the fact that that girl most likely knew. Although, he did hope that she didn't spread it around. It's not that it was a bad thing, but if any of the professors found out...plus it really wasn't anybody else's business but theirs.

Wenny nodded, "yeah, I'm ok. She better not tell anyone, though." Unfortunately, she knew the girl would probably at least tell their three dorm mates and Wenny would be questioned again.

He kissed her on the cheek. "We'll just have to be a little more discreet next time," he told her with a grin, now blushing at what he had just said as he looked back down the coridor.

Wenny looked over at him with a shy smile. "Awww, you're blushing," she said, playfully poking his cheek, "I thought I was the only one who did that."

He laughed as he looked back at her. "Well, I guess not," he told her, resting his head against hers and smiling. "So, where to now, my dear?" he said playfully.

"Hmm...well, dinner starts in about an hour, so maybe we could just hang out on the grounds for a bit or something?," she asked, not quite sure. They didn't really have enough time to go back to Hogsmeade, not that they even could, as it was getting close to time for all students to return to Hogwarts.

"Ohhh, wait...let's run by my common room," she said suddenly.

Carl looked at her curiously. "Alright," he said slowly. "What for?" he asked her as they headed in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.

"You'll see," she said with a grin.

When they reached the Hufflepuff common room, Wenny gave Carl a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll be right back." She went to her dorm and opened her trunk, grabbed what she had come for and stuffed it into her bag. Thankfully, none of her dorm mates had been in the dorm, so she wasn't held up for questioning.

Carl walked with her to her common room and smiled at her as she went inside. He waited outside, leaning against the wall, wondering what Wenny could possibly be getting from her dorm. It made him incredibly anxious now that he thought more about it.

Wenny walked out of the common room and smiled when she saw Carl, "miss me?"

"More than you know," he said, walking away from the wall towards her. "So...what'd you get?" he asked her curiously with the best puppydog eyes he could.

"Awww," she said as she leaned in and kissed him. Then she laughed when she saw his puppydog eyes, and shook her head, "nope, you'll find out when we get outside." She took his hand as they walked towards the main doors. She knew he was curious and she couldn't help but grin.

"Aw, you're killing me here, Wenny," Carl whined as he held onto her hand. "You love this, don't you?" he asked her, smiling as he looked sideways at her. He saw her grin and could tell that she was enjoying this, which made him just that much more anxious.

Wenny giggled, "yes I do love this. Almost as much as I love you." She glanced over at him, "it's really nothing that grand, though, so don't get too anxious."

They walked out to the grounds, to the spot by the lake and Wenny sat down in 'her spot' and motioned for him to sit by her.

He raised an eyebrow, now having an idea of what it might be. He sat down next to her, and stared at her with a waiting face.

"Ok,...remember when I told you that I draw?," she asked, as she pulled out an old sketch book from her bag. "Well, I thought maybe I'd show you some of my drawings. They aren't all that great, but...," she said as she opened the sketch book, looking at the first drawing for a bit before handing it over to him. She was a bit nervous of what he might think of them. She hadn't shown them to anyone before and his opinion really mattered more to her than anyone else's.

Carl smiled as she pulled out the sketch book. He grinned at being right, but how could he have forgotten? He took the book and looked down at it. He looked at the first one as his jaw slowly dropped. He flipped the page before saying anything. "Wenny, these are brilliant," he said quietly as he looked through the drawings. "They're gorgeous," he told her. _Of course, was it any surprise that these beautiful drawings came from someone so beautiful?,_ he pondered.

Wenny watched him and slowly began to smile, relieved that he seemed to like her drawings, "you really think so?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I really think so," he said quietly as he took time to look at each picture, slowly turning the pages. "They're beautiful," he told her.

"Thank you," she replied quietly. As she watched him, Wenny felt a bit odd, exposed. It was as if she were letting him read her diary or something, she couldn't really explain it. But she wanted to share everything with him. "No one else has seen those, so you're the first," she added with a shy smile. He was the 'first' of a lot of things in her life.

He finished looking at the drawings and closed the book, feeling like he had just seen an angel. He turned to Wenny and placed his hand on her cheek. "Your drawings are beautiful. You're beautiful. Your heart is beautiful. I love you," he told her softly and then kissed her.

Wenny couldn't even describe how she was feeling, hearing him say those words. "I love you, too," she replied, blushing slightly. And she did love him, much more than she had ever thought possible. In fact, she couldn't imagine herself without him. She was completely certain that there was no one else in the entire world that she would ever care for more.

She put the sketch book back in her bag and looked at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say.

He moved closer to her and put his arm around her, wishing more than anything that there was a way he could stay with her forever and never have to leave her side. He put his head against her as he held her close.

Wenny smiled at Carl's arm around her. She loved being in his arms. "Do you think it's odd how close we've become so soon?" Even though she had no doubt of her feelings for Carl, she knew they were rather young to have fallen so much in love. Or at least she thought so, as she hadn't really pictured herself falling in love until...well, actually, she hadn't really pictured it at all.

Carl smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "You know, I always thought it took a really long time to fall in love with somebody. You've opened my eyes, Wenny," he said, smiling as he kissed her again.

"You're too sweet," she said with a slight smile, then turned to him. "Carl, I want you to know that no matter what might happen, I will _always_ love you." She wasn't sure why she had felt the need to say that, but she had suddenly gotten a feeling that things were going too well for them. And she knew that happy endings were rare. Especially with Voldemort on the loose.

He sighed and smiled slightly at her. "I'll always love you too, Wenny," he told her as he held her closer. Then he cursed as he saw Draco coming up the path from Hogsmeade. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Wenny's, hoping Malfoy wouldn't bother them.

Wenny spotted Draco and muttered, "great." She hoped he would simply ignore them, but this was Draco Malfoy. Since when did he pass up a perfectly good opportunity to insult someone?

"Oh, look at the love birds!" shouted Draco as he got closer.

Carl rolled his eyes. _Just ignore him,_ he told himself. Hopefully he'd listen, but hitting Draco sounded like a good idea to him right now. He looked at Wenny with a playful _can I beat the crap out of him?_ look.

Wenny rolled her eyes at Draco's comment. As if being called 'love birds' really bothered her.

She saw Carl's look and laughed. She was tempted to tell him to go for it, but she didn't want him getting hurt or getting into trouble. She watched him for a moment, "hopefully, he'll just go away."

Carl kissed her on her cheek and stood up. "Dont worry, I'm not going to do anything," he told her, smiling. He walked over to Draco. "Yeah, what about it?" he ask him.

Draco just kind of stood there for a moment. "You don't want me to make your nose bleed infront of your girlfriend, do you?" he said nastily.

Wenny watched Carl, uncomfortably. Even though he had said he wouldn't do anything, Draco most likely would and that bothered her. She really didn't feel like watching Carl being beaten up.

"Draco, just leave us alone, please?," she asked, knowing full well that it would do no good.

Draco laughed. "Oh, of course," he said sarcastically. He turned back to Carl. "Looks like you're getting your girlfriend here to stick up for you," he taunted.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Carl replied. "She's right. Just leave us alone. We're not doing anything to you," he told him. He could feel his anger boiling slightly again, but it would take more than Draco to make him go over the edge again.

Now Wenny felt a bit bad. Malfoy had used her request as a taunt against Carl. Though, she knew she should've expected it.

She was tempted to hex the boy, but she knew he'd really say something about Carl "getting his girlfriend to defend him" if she did that. So she watched the two, hoping that Draco would soon get bored and move on.

Carl watched Draco who looked like he was about to punch him again. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "If you're going to punch me again, would you just do it already? Although, it is getting pretty old."

Draco smirked. "Oh, sorry to make you wait," he said as he brought up his fist. Carl didn't move or close his eyes. Draco punched him in the nose. "See you in the common room," he said nastily as he walked past Carl, bumping into his shoulder and heading towards the castle.

Carl put his hand to his nose and looked down at his hand where there was blood. "That's three times in the past two days," he muttered and then cursed.

Wenny winced as she saw Draco hit Carl, but she was glad to see him finally walk off. She quickly stood up and went over to Carl. "I'm sorry," she said quietly as she hugged him. Everytime she thought about the troubles Carl was having with the Slytherins, Malfoy in particular, she couldn't help but feel guilty. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be going through all of this mess.

"Wenny, please stop saying you're sorry," he said with a grin. "I'm a big boy. I can take a punch. None of this is your fault. Ok?" he said as he wiped the blood off his hand with his cloak.

"I know you're a 'big boy,' but yes, it is," she replied, "if it weren't for me, or if I were a Slytherin, you wouldn't be going through this." She sighed as she walked over and sat back down.

"Wenny!" he said as he walked over to her and sat down infront of her and held her shoulders. "Wenny, listen to me. This is not your fault. I don't give a rat's ass if you're in Slytherin or not. This is Draco's fault because he sold his soul to the devil. Wenny, I _love_ you. You know that. Don't you ever doubt that or think that all of this is in any way your fault. You got that?" he asked her, shaking her slightly. He hated it so much when he saw her blaming herself.

Wenny nodded reluctantly, though she still knew it was. She was back to hating the stupid sorting hat. She had hated it for a while during her first year, until she finally realized how much she enjoyed being in Hufflepuff. And she had accepted that the hat knew what it was doing. But now, seeing Carl taunted and hit just because he was with someone who wasn't Slytherin really brought back all of the disappointment she had gone through that first year.

"I just really hate seeing you hurt," she said quietly.

He sighed and put his arms around her. "The feeling's mutual," he said with a grin. "But you know, Draco's a cheap shot." He held her shoulders again and shook his head, smiling at her. "You're hopeless, you know that?" he said, laughing quietly. He could tell that she was still bothered by her thinking it was her fault, which bothered him.

She gave him a small smile before turning to look out over the lake. After a few moments, and without looking at him, she said "I'm scared for you." She had heard Draco say that he would see Carl in the common room and she could only imagine what he might say or do and it bothered her. Especially since it was already almost supper time and they would have to go to their common rooms afterwards.

Carl put his arms around her again, holding her as close as he possibly could. He didn't know what else he could say after all that he already had. He knew that she worried alot, but he hated it when she did, and wished he could do or say something to make her stop.

"Maybe we could talk to Dumbledore? Maybe he could come up with a way to keep Draco from bothering you?," she suggested. She knew he didn't want to 'run away' from Malfoy, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have some kind of protection.

He sighed. He really didn't want to seem weak or cowardly, so he really didn't want to go to Dumbledore. But he didn't want Wenny to worry even more, so he nodded. "Alright," he said quietly.

Wenny noticed his tone and looked at him, "you don't want to ask for help, do you?" She couldn't help but smile a bit. Guys were so odd. They would rather get beaten up than to ask for any kind of help or protection.

He smiled at her. She knew him so well. "I do if you want me to," he told her. He looked at the sky, noticing that it looked like it was getting close to time for dinner. But he didn't want to move from that spot. At least he'd be able to sit with her at dinner.

She looked at him for a second, "how about this? You do what you think is best and I'll trust your judgement?" She didn't want to force him to talk to Dumbledore if he didn't want to, she was just worried about him. But if he thought he could handle Draco on his own, then she would simply have to let him do so.

Carl tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm not afraid of Draco Malfoy," he said quietly. He knew that she really wanted him to talk to Dumbledore, but he couldn't decide if he should or not. Doing so could possibly get him just more trouble from all of the Slytherins.

She nodded slightly, "ok." She gave him a small smile and returned his kiss, then just held him close for a few moments.

"I guess we should go in," she said quietly, noticing that it was starting to get dark. She didn't want a repeat of the previous night's events.

"Yeah, we probably should," he said. Although, he really didn't want to move. He loved being close to her. But he knew they really should be getting inside. They had already been missing for most of the day, and probably shouldn't be late to dinner.

Wenny gave him one more gentle kiss before grabbing her bag and standing up, grabbing his hands to pull him up. "At least we get to sit together during dinner, so we don't have to leave each other quite yet," she said, trying to see the positive in having to leave their spot. Though, as soon as she said it, she groaned. They would have to face her dorm mates, who she hoped hadn't just spent the past hour or so gossiping about where she had been all day.

He stood up with her and smiled at her. He could tell what she was thinking when she groaned. He couldn't help but grin. "I told you you're hopeless," he said with a laugh as he tucked another strand of her hair. He was worried about her dorm mates too, but he didn't show it. "Just remember that it really is none of their business and there's nothing to be embarrassed of," he told her.

She put her arm through his as they walked back towards the castle. "That's easy for you to say," she replied with a slight grin. Wenny was very timid when it came to certain things and she really didn't like the idea of people saying those certain things about her.

Carl smiled at her and kissed her on her cheek. "Well, we're facing this thing together," he told her. He felt the same way she did about it, but he made himself not show it. "You know, if people see that it bothers you when they know, they're just going to bug you about it more," he said, grinning.

Wenny sighed, "I suppose you're right. If anyone says anything, we'll just have to act like it doesn't really matter much." Though, admittedly, Wenny didn't have a very good poker face and couldn't act to save her life. She tended to wear her heart on her sleeve and anyone who knew her at all could very easily tell what she was thinking.

They walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Fortunately, it seemed that her dorm mates hadn't arrived yet.

Carl looked around the Great Hall and saw Draco, but before he could catch another one of his glare's, he looked back at Wenny and smiled. He took her hand in his and looked at her. _She really does worry alot,_ he thought, as he watched her and looked into her eyes.

Wenny noticed the way Carl was watching her, "is everything ok?"

About that time, they heard "hey guys," and turned to see the infamous dorm mate sitting down across from them. "How is everything?," the girl asked with a grin.

Wenny took a deep breath and turned to the girl, "everything is great, thanks." Then turned back to Carl with a small smile.

Carl had nodded at her question and then saw the girl. He looked at Wenny and returned the smile. He saw the girl's grin and hoped that she wouldn't give them much trouble. It wasn't exactly him that he wished this for, but he knew Wenny didn't need that problem right now.

"So, what did you guys do with the rest of your afternoon?," the girl asked, glancing from Wenny to Carl and back.

"Oh, nothing really, just talked for a while," Wenny said, wishing the girl would just find someone else to pester. She had never had a problem with her dorm mates until now. Maybe it was because before now, Wenny a shy girl who kept to herself. Not exactly a cause for gossip. Oh, how things had changed.

"Like I believe that," the girl said with a smirk.

Carl had to refrain from glaring at the girl. It was very unual for a girl to make him upset like he was. "Believe what you want. It doesn't matter to us," he told the girl as he smiled at Wenny and gave her a look to try to tell her not to let it get to her. But he knew it wasn't that easy as it was starting to get to him too.

"Someone's a bit touchy," the girl replied to Carl, before glancing over at Wenny, who was avoiding the girl's gaze. "You guys are no fun," she added.

Carl refrained from saying and _'someone needs to learn to keep their noses out of other people's business.'_ He could see that Wenny was getting uncomfortable and wished there was something he could say. But instead, he merely smiled from Wenny to the girl, trying his best to seem kind even though he was annoyed.

Fortunately, the girl seemed to leave them alone after that, though Wenny wasn't much in the mood to talk after the girl's earlier comments. Wenny's other dorm mates arrived shortly after, but didn't make any kind of comments to Wenny and Carl as the other girl had done, which led Wenny to believe the girl hadn't told them.

Dinner went by rather uneventfully and before they knew it, it was time to go back to the common rooms.

Carl sighed as he really didn't want to go back to his common room, but thought it really would be foolish to stay out another night. Plus they had already risked getting into trouble, and they probably should have gotten in more trouble than they had been in with Snape.

Wenny looked over at Carl. "I would suggest meeting tonight, but...given what happened last night...," she said, frowning and then grinning slightly. It had all be a bit crazy the previous night, Snape and then Lucius.

He smirked. "We could always try it one last time and beat the crap out of anyone who bothered us," he said with a laugh. Although, he knew that wouldn't be a smart thing to do at all.

Wenny laughed, "We could." And she was tempted to do just that, but they had already barely escaped more than their fair share of attacks and she was sure their luck wouldn't hold out much longer.

"Well, I guess we should get on our way...," she said quietly. She really wasn't looking forward to being away from him all night, not to mention they had classes the following morning. And since he was in a different year than she was, they didn't have any classes together.

Suddenly, she laughed. "You'd think one of us was about to leave the country, wouldn't you?" It did almost feel like it, though.

He grinned slightly at her. "Lets go somewhere. Anywhere," he said desperately. "I don't want to be away from you right now," he told her, putting his hands on her cheeks. He didn't know if he could stand being away from her for more than a few hours, because he didn't think he'd be sleeping. Especially if he had to go back to his common room. After hearing that threat from Malfoy, he wasn't quite thrilled with that idea.

Wenny gave him a shy smile. "Well, I suppose we could go back to the Room...," she suggested quietly. Though, if they didn't go back to their common rooms first, they could get in trouble if their Head of House happened to do a random check. It would be one thing if one of them were found out of their dorms, but if they were both missing, she could only imagine the trouble they'd be in.

Carl sighed after hearing her tone. She didn't want that to be another thing for her to have to worry about. He smiled at her and rubbed her cheek gently with his thumb. "We both probably need to get some rest," he told her and kissed her gently on her lips. "I'm sorry. I guess I just love you so much," he said with a grin.

"Don't apologize for that," she replied with a slight grin. She watched him for a moment and then sighed, "I don't want to leave you either."

She tried thinking of what they could do, but the only thing she could think of was the Room of Requirement. Perhaps they could meet there after curfew as they had done the previous night by the lake. Just as long as Professor Sprout thought Wenny was in her dorm, it would be ok.

"We can go to our common rooms for a bit and then meet at the Room later...?," she suggested again, having forgotten about Draco's threat.

He smiled and nodded. "Only if you're sure though," he told her, not wanting her to worry. But he really did want to be with her. And as long as it was in a room that hopefully no one, like Death Eaters, could get in and attack them, then it made it that much more better.

"Well, I'm sure that I don't want to be away from you any longer than I have to be," she said with a slight grin.

Carl smiled and leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. "Then I guess we'll see each other in a little while?" he said, playing with her hair a little bit.

Wenny nodded. "But please try not to be late. I'm not quite sure how you make that door appear, and I don't want to be caught standing in the corridor," she said with a quiet laugh.

He laughed and smiled at her and kissed her again. They walked down the coridor and Carl had to turn to go to his common room. He turned to her and gave her one last kiss before they would see each other again.

"See ya," she said quietly as she gave him a small wave and then headed off toward the Hufflepuff common room.


	22. Bad Day Go Away

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Bad Day Go Away**

When Wenny reached the Hufflepuff common room, she went straight up to her dorm, and wasn't surprised to find her dorm mates all in there already.

"Hey, Wenny. Where ya been?," one girl asked. Before Wenny could answer, the one who had bugged them at dinner said "With her new boytoy." Wenny glared at the girl, "would you shut up? UGH." The other girl threw her hands up, "fine."

Their dorm mates looked at Wenny curiously. She had never been one to speak to one of them like that. "Sorry, I'm just tired," she said quietly, then quickly threw a _do not say a word or you will feel my wrath_ look at the girl.

Carl walked down the coridor and entered the common room. The second he did, he felt himself being pulled inside and lifted off the ground. Carl cursed as he looked from his left to his right. There were Crabbe and Goyle, with Malfoy standing infront of him.

"Hey, guys," Carl said. Malfoy punched Carl in the nose again, and Carl cursed. Carl looked up with yet another bloody nose. "You know, this is getting extremely old," he said. "Plus this is a waste of time. You're looking for a fight, and I'm not willing to put up much of one at the moment," Carl added, glaring at Malfoy.

"Oh, I'm not looking for a fight," Malfoy said with a smirk. "I'm just looking for revenge for you humiliating my father." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Carl.

Wenny got in bed fully dressed, and laid there thinking of Carl, hoping for the hours to pass rather fast as she couldn't wait to see him again.

A few minutes later, Wenny yawned and quickly sat up. She wasn't about to let herself fall asleep. Trying to think of something to do to keep herself awake, she quietly went to her trunk and got her sketch book back out and sat back down on her bed.

After pulling the drapes around her bed closed, and lighting the end of her wand, Wenny began to draw.

Carl laughed and rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do? Bat-bogey me?" he said, glaring at Draco. "You might want to remember that my father is your head of house," he said with a smirk.

Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "I sense a bit of hesitation?" Carl said tauntingly. Draco looked back at Carl. "I was thinking of the Cruciatus curse, but we wouldn't want you running off to your daddy, would we?"

Carl just glared at him. "Whatever you're going to do, would you mind hurrying it up? I didn't get alot of sleep due to you and your father."

Draco nodded as he pocketed his wand. "Whatever you want," he said. Then he punched Carl hard in the chest, making him lose his breath for a few moments. He felt Crabbe and Goyle let go and he fell to the ground.

After what seemed like ages, even though it couldn't have been more than an hour or so, it was finally time for Wenny to meet Carl. She quietly stood up and put her sketch book back in her trunk before sneaking out of the dorm. Fortunately, the common room seemed to be empty, so she quickly, yet quietly, crossed to the common room entrance and snuck out.

She hoped that Carl would be waiting for her when she got there, so that she wasn't standing in the corridor for long. But when she got there, he didn't appear to be there. She looked around, making sure there wasn't anyone in the area before sitting down against the wall. She hoped he'd get there soon.

After awhile, Carl finally caught his breath. He looked up and saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle going back up the stairs to their dorms. It's not like he hadn't expected something like this to happen. He cursed as he stood up, thinking about hexing them, but figured he should probably be leaving.

He walked towards the exit and out into the hall. As he was walking down the coridor, he dried the blood that was coming from his nose onto his upper lip. He got there and saw Wenny. "Sorry I'm late," he said quietly.

When Wenny saw Carl, she could tell something had happened. "Not again?," she asked quietly. She stood up and walked over to him and was about to say something to him when she thought she heard something or someone coming towards the corridor. She motioned for him to hurry up and make the door appear. They could talk once they were in the room.

He sighed, knowing that she would interrogate him about it. He walked infront of the area where the door would appear, thinking. A door appeared and they quickly went inside, Carl shutting the door behind them. The room was the same as it had been the previous time. He turned to Wenny. He had to talk before she could. "Wenny, it's nothing. I'm fine. It's not your fault. I'm a big boy. I can take it. Please don't worry about it," he pleaded, not sure she would listen to him.

"Carl, look at you. You may be a big boy and you may be fine, but you still can't keep going through this. What if it gets worse? What if next time, he doesn't just hit you?," she asked. Knowing Draco, she wouldn't be surprised if he tried to use an unforgivable on Carl. After all, Lucius Malfoy had snuck onto Hogwarts grounds to try to attack her because Draco had told him what Wenny had said.

He sighed again and closed his eyes. "There's not much I can do about it, Wenny," he said quietly as he opened his eyes again. "If it comes down to it, I can defend myself if I really need to. But I'm not going to give him more incentive to beat the crap out of me even more," he told her.

"There has be to _something_ we can do," she said, putting her arms around him, "I'm sorry, I know you can defend yourself. I just hate seeing you like this."

Carl put his arms around her, too, and smiled. "I know," he said quietly. "Come on," he added, walking over to the bed, and then yawned and smiled at Wenny. "I think I might be tired," he said with a grin.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes and laughed, "I bet."

She was still worried about him, though. It really bothered her to see him getting punched numerous times a day. Even though she wasn't the one being hit, it hurt her just as much as a punch would have. Possibly even moreso.

He bent down and picked Wenny up, wincing slightly. That punch must've been harder than he thought. He laid her down on the bed and then laid down next to her, putting his arms around her.

Wenny noticed Carl wincing, but decided not to say anything, since she didn't want them to argue over it. Instead, gave him a quick kiss then rolled over. "Goodnight," she said as she grinned to herself.

"I don't think so," he said, smirking as he turned her gently back towards him, putting his arms tight around her. "You're staying right here," he said softly, smiling at her.

Wenny laughed, "well, alright, if you insist." She gave him a tender kiss, then snuggled up close to him and closed her eyes. She wondered if he was going to actually let her go to sleep or not, which made her grin.

He smiled and kissed her on her forehead. "Goodnight," he said quietly and closed his eyes, grinning slightly.

Wenny opened her eyes and watched him for a moment. She couldn't help but smile. He looked so cute with his eyes closed. She put a hand near his shoulder and closed her eyes again.

He felt himself drifting off to sleep, but he didn't really want to sleep. The sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he'd wake up and they'd have to go to their classes. He laid there with his eyes closed, but forced himself to stay awake.

For a few minutes, Wenny just laid there, enjoying being so close to him. Then, she opened her eyes and watched him again, noticing that he seemed to be asleep. She couldn't resist reaching up and very gently touching his cheek.

Carl slowly smiled and opened his eyes. "Morning already?" he teased as he looked at her. "I know what you want," he said with a smirk as he sighed playfully. He kissed her for a moment on the lips and then kissed her neck.

She giggled a little, "I thought you were asleep." She bit her bottom lip lightly as his kisses started taking effect. "Well, I didn't say I _wanted_ it, but...I'll take it anyway," she said said with a grin.

He laughed a little and continued kissing her neck for a few moments. He then kissed her lips and smiled at her. He could feel his eyelids getting heavy, but did his best to not fall asleep. He kept watching her for a few more moments.

Wenny gently ran her thumb across Carl's lips before kissing him once more. "Goodnight," she said with a yawn as she closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Carl smiled at her as he watched her fall asleep. He closed his eyes, but stayed awake for awhile longer. After a while, he figured he might as well get some sleep or he'd be sleeping in his classes. Shortly after, he finally gave up and fell into a deep sleep.

--

Wenny always slept late, but being in Carl's arms, she slept even later than usual. Or at least she thought she had, she wasn't sure...and that made her nervous. What if they were late for their classes? And her dorm mates obviously would know she had snuck out since she wasn't been in her bed when they woke up. How would she explain that?

She quickly sat up and glanced around. "What time is it?," she asked, even though it seemed Carl was still sleeping.

Carl almost fell off the bed as he sat up after Wenny. He blinked his eyes and yawned. He looked around the room and then back at Wenny. It felt kind of late to him, but he wasn't for sure as he didn't have a watch or anything. "I don't know," he said, shrugging as he looked around the room again, as if trying to find the time.

Wenny laughed, "sorry." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up and walking over to the window. She could see students walking around the grounds, "we are going to be in _so_ much trouble if we've missed class."

He watched her and then stood up off the bed and walked over to her. He put his arms around her from behind and leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "You're worrying again," he said, smiling at her. Although he was worried about the exact same thing, he knew that if he showed it, it might just make her worry more.

She put her arms on his and turned her head enough to meet his lips. "I know, I'm sorry," she said as she turned back to the window and sighed. She wanted to stay right there, just like that for the entire rest of the day, but she knew they couldn't. They really did need to get to class. But what would a few more moments hurt?

Carl rested his head on Wenny's shoulder and followed her gaze out the window. He glanced sideways at her and smiled and kissed her on her cheek again. He had never really hated going to class, but right now he could actually say he did.

Wenny smiled as Carl kissed her cheek, then turned to him, "I love you."

His smile widened. "I love you too," he told her as he looked into her eyes and kissed her again.

She gave him a smile and a kiss. "I guess we should go. We still have to change and everything," she said with a sigh.

"Yeah," he said quietly. He took one last look out of the window before taking Wenny's hand and very slowly walked towards the door.

Right as they got to the door, Wenny suddenly turned around and gave him a passionate kiss. "We missed breakfast, so we won't see each other again until lunch. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't forget about me," she said with a grin.

Carl smiled at her. "I guess I better do the same," he said, grinning. He kissed her again deeply and then rested his lips against hers for a moment. "But I'll never forget about you, Wenny. Not a chance," he said softly against her lips.

Wenny smiled and kissed him once more before turning and opening the door. She peeked out into the corridor to make sure there wasn't anyone standing around, then turned to him. "It looks clear. I suppose it might look too suspicious if we walk out together, so I'm gonna go now and you can go in a few minutes, ok? I love you and I'll see you at lunch," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping out into the corridor.

She quickly headed for the Hufflepuff Common Room, hoping it was earlier than she thought it was.

Carl watched her as she left and waited a few minutes before peeking out into the hall and leaving himself. He walked down to the dungeons and pulled out his wand before going into the common room. He didn't feel like taking any crap today, plus making Wenny worry even more. He walked into the common room, and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see Malfoy there to greet him.

Surprisingly, Wenny hadn't missed any classes, only breakfast. She could deal with that. However, that still meant that her dorm mates all knew she had snuck out last night, which meant that they would most likely question her the next time she saw them...which would be in her next class. She formulated a plan of not going to class until time for it to began, so she wouldn't have to sit there with them for too long.

After quickly changing into her uniform, Wenny headed for her first class.

Carl changed his clothes quickly and headed back out of the common room, happy to have not seen Draco. He walked slowly to his class, fast enough to get there on time, but slow enough so he wouldn't have to meet Draco outside the door.

Wenny walked into the classroom, sat down at her table, and took out her books. She pretended to be reading something in the book, so she wouldn't have to endure seeing her dorm mates watching her.

"Wenny," she heard one of them whisper, but she ignored it. "Wenny!," the girl repeated. Wenny reluctantly turned around to see what the girl wanted...right as the teacher walked into the classroom. Wenny breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the front of the room.

Carl made it to his classroom and saw Malfoy already sitting down at a desk. He took a seat in the back, avoiding glacing at Draco. The professor walked in and Carl pulled out a notebook and opened it. He looked down at it and pulled out a quill. He hated History of Magic. He didn't take notes the entire time, not like he usually did anyways.

Fortunately, the professor kept them pretty busy the entire class, so Wenny never had to see what the girl had wanted to ask her or tell her. Though, when the class was over, predictably, the girl headed straight for Wenny's table.

"Where were you this morning?," she asked, looking at Wenny suspiciously.

"I wasn't feeling well," Wenny answered, stuffing her books back into her bag and standing up. She turned to leave, but the girl said "I heard you were with him."

Wenny quickly turned back to look at the girl, "where did you hear that?" The girl laughed a little, "Come on, Wenny, I think you know the answer to that one. But is it true?" Wenny looked at her for a moment before turning to leave, "I told you I wasn't feeling good."

This was going to be a very long day.

When class was over, Carl quickly put his notebook and quill back into his bag. He was happy that he was in the back next to the door. He quickly slipped out the exit and walked fast pace down the corridor. But maybe not fast enough.

"Hey, Carl!" he heard Malfoy yell from a ways behind him. Carl ignored him and kept walking. He didn't really think Draco would try anything in the middle of the hall, but he really wasn't up for a confrontation. He walked a bit quicker and lost him.

Wenny's next class was Potions with Professor Snape. She usually quite enjoyed his class, but today, she was dreading it. Not only would her dorm mates be there, but Snape would be there as well, obviously. And given that he had caught them out on the grounds after curfew AND the fact that Carl nearly sliced him in half, Wenny was sure that he wasn't going to be particularly nice to her.

Wanting to avoid them all, she walked down to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to pass some time before she had to be in class. Wenny loved Carl with all of her heart, but she was particular about her reputation and didn't like the fact that people were talking about her the way she knew they were doing now. She didn't know what to do about it, though. Sitting down against the wall, Wenny put her head in her hands.

"Awwww, why so sad?" came the high-pitched voice from one of the stalls. Wenny looked up to find Myrtle floating towards her.

"It's nothing, Myrtle," she said, hoping the ghost girl would simply go back to her drain.

"Tut tut, people never come in here unless there's something wrong," Myrtle said. "I bet it's a boyyyy...," she taunted.

With that, Wenny stood up and promptly walked out of the restroom. She wasn't in the mood to hear another thing about guys, even if it wasn't about Carl in particular. And especially not from a ghost. Was the entire school ganging up on her?

Carl had to go to Herbology, which he usually would be glad for. But Professor Sprout usually made them work in pairs, and he knew Malfoy would be his partner like always. He walked to the Entrance Hall and then out to the grounds. At least they'd be in class and around a professor and other students, so hopefully Malfoy wouldn't try to gang up on him again.

He walked slowly around the castle and towards the greenhouses. He made his way to greenhouse seven and went inside where there were already a few students. He was glad that practically no one cared about where he had always gone off to. He just hoped Wenny wasn't having a hard time.

Figuring it was getting close to class time, Wenny walked down to the dungeons towards Professor Snape's classroom. She opened the door and walked straight to her desk, not looking at anyone. As she had done in her earlier class, she took out a book and pretending to be reading in the hopes that no one would speak to her. She just wanted the day to be over.

Professor Snape entered the room a few minutes later and started with the lesson, but not until after he gave her a rather odd stare that she couldn't exactly decipher. Was he upset with her for being out on the grounds after curfew? Was he somehow blaming her for what Carl had done? Did he know about yesterday?

She looked back down towards her desk and thankfully, he went on with the lesson.

Carl saw Malfoy come in, but kept his head down, pretending to be interested in a rather large clump of dirt. Professor Sprout came in and started the lesson. Thankfully, they weren't working in pairs that day. Sprout made them do book work. Carl would've usually been upset and complained like the others, but today, it couldn't have made him more happy.

Carl would look up every now and then at the plants that Professor Sprout would show them, and often caught a glare from Malfoy. He would return it often, but most of the time he tried his best to ignore it. It felt so weird being in class, and all he could think about was Wenny.

The rest of the day went by pretty much the same for Wenny. Her dorm mates tried a few more times to get her to answer their questions, but she constantly told them the same story: she had went to the hospital wing because she woke up in the middle of the night feeling rather sick. It wasn't as if they could go question Madam Pomfrey and even if they tried, Madam Pomfrey wasn't much for being questioned and most likely wouldn't even talk to them.

After her last class, Wenny usually up to her dorm to start on the homework they had been given. Today though, she didn't want to have to face her dorm mates yet again, so she went down to her spot by the lake instead.

When class was over, Carl was walking towards the exit when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle blocked it. Carl glared at them. "Get out of my way, Malfoy," he said. Before he could reply, he pushed his way past them, surprised they didn't stop him or at least trip him or something.

He walked back around the castle slowly, looking down at the ground. When he looked up, he saw Wenny sitting down by the lake. He smiled and walked over to her. "Is this seat taken?" he asked with a grin as he looked down at her.

Wenny looked up and shook her head slowly, giving him a small smile. The day had been just as bad as she figured it might be. Though, it could always get worse and that thought scared her. What might they do if she continued to avoid them? Or if they continued to notice her out of her dorm each morning?

Carl sighed and sat down next to her, setting his bag down beside him. "Rough day?" he asked her, noticing the look on her face. He had expected just as much, though. He hadn't expected it to be easy once they got back, and after spending most of the day alone from the rest of the other students.

She looked at him for a moment and then slowly nodded, turning back to look at the lake. She felt like crying and she knew if she spoke to him, she'd probably start. She wasn't about to do that, though, so for now at least, she would just stay quiet.

He noticed how quiet she was and looked down at the ground for a moment before turning his gaze to the lake. He wished there was something he could do, because he knew this was all hard for her. He sighed again and turned to her. He slowly put his arms around her and brought her close to him, putting his hand on her head and putting her head on his chest.

Feeling Carl holding her made it even more difficult for Wenny not to cry, but she refused to do so. He had gone through so much more lately than what she was going through at the moment, she didn't think it was fair for him to have to console her. She closed her eyes and slowly put her arms around him.

"You know I'm always here for you Wenny, don't you?" he said softly, stroking her hair. Her silence was starting to worry him. He gently kissed the top of her head, holding her close.

Wenny just nodded slowly. She did know Carl was there for her, but she still didn't want to worry him with her bad day. Not to mention make him think she was silly for being so bothered by what people might think. But that was just how Wenny was. She was very modest and shy and she hated to think what kind of things her dorm mates were currently thinking and saying about her.

Carl sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head. He wished that she would talk to him. Maybe now he knew how she felt. "Wenny, will you please talk to me?" he said quietly. He wasn't going to try to make her talk to him, but he could at least try.

Wenny looked up at him for a few moments, not quite sure what to say. He was probably gonna think she was silly for letting it bother her, but she couldn't help it. "They think I'm...that I'm a...," she started, not quite sure how to finish the sentence or that she even wanted to. Hopefully, he'd be able to catch her drift.

"Alright, alright," he said quietly and softly as he kept stroking her hair softly and held onto her. "Maybe we should go talk to Dumbledore," he suggested. It was one thing if it was to get Draco off his back, but it was a completely other thing when this was just putting so much pressure on Wenny.

"What can he do about it? We'd have to tell him why they think that," she said. And there was no way they could tell Dumbledore that they had been sneaking out of their dorms to be with each other each night. He just would not understand, even if it had been completely innocent. Which it hadn't, but that was beside the point.

"Well, it is Dumbledore. I really wouldn't be surprised if he didn't already know." But he really didn't know what Dumbledore could do about it. Then again, he didn't know what even went on in the old man's head. He sighed. "Then we'll just have to deal with this together. Unless you want me to shut your dorm mates up," he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood, but not sure he should've said it.

At his comment, Wenny couldn't help but laugh a little. She was almost tempted to tell him to go for it, as she certainly didn't feel like protecting them at the moment.

She and her dorm mates had spent five years together laughing, crying, and sharing secrets...yet the moment Wenny does something they consider 'out of character,' they turn on her. Ok, so they hadn't literally 'turned' on her, yet, but the fact that they were thinking such rude things about her really hurt.

He laughed quietly. "Maybe we should just settle seeing each other during meals and before curfew," he told her quietly to see what she'd say. He really didn't want that at all, but he didn't want to see Wenny like this either.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, not sure what to say. She didn't really want that, but maybe it was for the best? Her dorm mates couldn't continue saying things about her if she was always in her dorm with them...but then again, the 'damage' was already done and even if she never snuck out again, they already knew she had snuck out twice before...not to mention the fact that she and Carl had supposedly "run away" from school together the previous week.

"Well, we can, I guess...but, I don't think it'd help much," she said quietly.

"If we don't go out for awhile, the news might get old. If we keep doing what we are now, they'll always have it on their minds. Then again, it still might get old. I'll leave it to you, Wenny," Carl said quietly. How long could her dorm mates possibly keep this up? Then again, people surprise you sometimes.

"I suppose you're right. Maybe we could just...skip a night or two...?," she asked, not really wanting to. He did have a point, though. If her dorm mates woke up to find her missing every morning, they would _definitely_ continue to talk. But if she actually spent a few nights in the dorm with them, they couldn't exactly talk about her with her right there.

Carl nodded and then looked down at her, smiling. "Then we'll just have to do just that," he said. Not being able to spend as much time with her as usual was probably going to drive him insane, but if it helped Wenny at all then he would just have to deal with it, and he would. He kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said softly.

Wenny looked up at him with a slight smile, "I love you, too. And thank you for understanding." She leaned up and gave him a sweet little kiss before resting her head back against his chest. "I'm almost afraid to ask how your day went...?," she said, glancing up at him.

He couldn't help but laugh. "It was the best day of my life," he said sarcastically, laughing. "You know Draco," he said with a shrug. "I'm just glad I didn't have to suffer another bloody nose," he said, grinning. "Although, it's not like I can't take it," he added quickly, smiling down at her.

Wenny rolled her eyes playfully and laughed, "no, of course it's not like you can't take it." Guys were so odd, always trying to act as if nothing bothered them.

For some reason, the strange stare that Professor Snape had given her came to her mind. She looked up at Carl, not quite sure whether or not to tell him. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Then again, maybe she wasn't. "I think maybe Professor Snape knows," she said.

Carl suddenly got serious and looked down at Wenny, moving so he could look in her eyes. He took a deep breath. "What makes you say that?" he asked, getting a bit worried. "Did he say something to you?" he asked her.

Wenny quickly shook her head, "no, he didn't say anything...he just...gave me this look. Before class started. I thought he was going to say something, which made me a bit nervous, so I looked down at my books, hoping he wouldn't embarass me too much, but then he never did say anything, he just started teaching."

He took another deep breath, trying to think of something to say or do. He looked down at the ground. "If he didn't say anything to you, maybe he won't say anything at all?" he suggested. But he wasn't so sure. He hoped he wouldn't bother Wenny about it at least.

Wenny could tell that Carl was worried about Snape knowing, and she didn't blame him. She sighed, thinking maybe they were in over their heads with this whole thing. Maybe they hadn't really thought everything through before getting themselves in this situation. It was their own fault, wasn't it?

"Yeah, maybe you're right," she said after a few moments. But even if Professor Snape did happen to say something, what could he really do about it?

He pulled her close again and laid her head on his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. He wished he could that it would all be alright, but he couldn't say it without actually believing it himself. Maybe he would go talk to Snape later, he thought. He didn't want him to keep bothering Wenny, so maybe he could talk him into leaving her alone at least.

Wenny closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy the feeling of being in his arms, and tried not to let any negative thoughts in her mind. Maybe they had jumped too quickly and caused their current situation. But to be honest, she wasn't sure she had done anything differently, even if she knew what the outcome would be.

"Awww, don't you guys look cozy."

Wenny opened her eyes and glanced in the direction of the voice and sighed. Her dorm mate. "Please just go away," Wenny said, not wanting to start an argument, nor even move from Carl's arms.

"Why? So you two can be _alone?_," the girl asked.

Carl felt his jaw clench as he looked up at the girl. He looked at Wenny with a face of _please let me do something_ and then looked back up at the girl. He had to stop himself from standing up and yelling or hexing the girl. Why was it that no one seemed to have the ability to leave them alone? It really isn't like there weren't other couples to tease. Then again, he didn't know of any other Slytherin and Hufflepuff couples.

Wenny noticed Carl's expression and had to hide a grin. She slowly nodded. After all, the girl was purposely trying to start trouble, ...so trouble she would get.

Carl grinned and stood up. He walked up to the girl and grabbed her arm a bit more rough than he had first intended to, but the girl did seem to annoy him more than only a bit. He walked her a few yards away and then turned to her. "Listen to me. Wenny has alot on her mind as it is. She doesn't need any more trouble from you. Just leave her alone," he said a bit more quietly as he let go of her arm.

Wenny laughed to herself as she watched Carl grab the girl's arm. She knew the girl wouldn't exactly be happy about that, but she had asked for it, really. As she watched them walk away and watched Carl speak to the girl, she wondered what Carl was saying and whether or not it would help. This particular dorm mate could be quite a handful.

"Let go of me," the girl said fiercely as Carl pulled her away. When she heard his comment, she scoffed, "I'll _bet_ she has a lot on her mind."

At this, Carl glared at her. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. I really suggest that you get all the facts before you go around giving people hell." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep his anger under control. "Please. Just leave her alone," he said quietly as he opened his eyes to look at her again. He wasn't used to asking things of people nicely. He usually just beat what he wanted out of them. He thought this girl was getting lucky, unless she tried anything else anyways.

"What other facts do I need? She's been out of the dorm two nights in a row now. And I assume you've been out of yours as well, otherwise, why would she be out? Regardless, it doesn't take a genius to know where she's been," she said. She glanced towards Wenny, "If you ask me, she's being a bit crazy. I mean, she's known you like what? A week?"

_Don't hit a girl. Don't hit a girl,_ Carl had to tell himself over and over as he gritted his teeth and glared down at Wenny's dorm mate. "None of that means that you have to bother her about it. Aren't you her _friend?_ She's got more on her mind than you could ever imagine," he told her, repressing the urge to cast some prank hex on her or something.

"Yes, I'm her friend and I'm _trying_ to show her how careless she's being. It isn't like her to do something like this," she replied, giving Carl a look that clearly meant she thought he was responsible for it.

Wenny was still watching the pair, getting more curious by the second. What could they possibly still be talking about? Though, she was rather relieved that neither had thrown any hexes at the other...yet.

"People change," he said, still glaring at her. It seemed like this girl wasn't going to get it, and it was all he could do to not pull out his wand. Although it was getting more difficult each second. "I hate seeing Wenny like this. And you're causing it," he told her. Although, if it wasn't for him in the first place, this girl wouldn't have a reason to torment Wenny.

"Look, I'm just trying to look out for her, ok? I don't want to see her get...into _trouble,_" she replied quietly, hoping he would know what she meant.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean that you should torment her about it. And if i hear that you keep doing it, I'll make sure that your dorm mates have something about _you_ to talk about," he said, giving her one last glare before turning back around.

She glared at him as he walked away, then turned and walked towards the castle.

Wenny saw the two go their separate ways and wondered what Carl had said to her and if the girl had actually listened. Somehow she doubted it, but...maybe the girl would surprise her. She smiled at Carl as she watched him walking back over.

Carl took a deep breath before sitting down next to Wenny. He smiled at her. "You'll tell me if she gives you anymore trouble, right?" he asked her as he put his arm around her.

Wenny couldn't help but grin, "Yeah, sure. But what did you say to her?"

He smiled at her and put his hand on her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. "Lets just say that she's not so smart if she keeps bothering you."

"You didn't threaten to hex her, did you?," Wenny asked, raising an eyebrow. To be honest, she wouldn't have really cared if he had...and that surprised her a bit.

He laughed. "Not in so many words," he said with a grin as he held her close to him again. He really hoped that she didn't bother Wenny anymore, but he couldn't help but think of what he could and probably _would_ do to stop her. He just hated that they had to torment Wenny like that.

Wenny laughed and rolled her eyes, "'not in so many words.' Right." She put her head back on his chest and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she looked up at him, "thank you." It meant a lot to her that he was so ready and willing to take up for her. Even if it was only to an annoying dorm mate.

He smiled at her. "You're welcome," he said quietly, giving her a soft kiss on her lips. Although, he thought anyone would have done the same. "I love you so much," he told her softly against her lips.

Wenny laughed a little, "awwwww." She returned the kiss and then looked at him. "I love you more," she said quietly.

Carl smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You want to start that again, do you?" he asked her as he watched her, grinning.

Wenny laughed. "Not that I wouldn't love to, but...," she glanced around, "I don't think we need to draw any more attention to ourselves." But after a moment, she leaned up and placed a few kisses along his jaw. "The rest can wait," she said with a smirk.

He grinned and closed his eyes and then whined when he heard her comment. He laughed and and ran a hand through his hair and smiled at her. "You're right," he said quietly as he grinned at her.

Wenny laughed at his whining, "oh stop that. You're a 'big boy,' remember?" She playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

He raised his eyebrow again and smirked, holding back a laugh before catching a deep kiss as he saw her stick out her tongue.

She continued the kiss for a few moments, then looked at him. Raising an eyebrow, she said "well, that was interesting," and laughed.

Carl laughed and then stroked her hair, looking into her eyes. "Yes, it was," he said quietly as he stared deep into her eyes. "You're beautiful," he said softly.

Wenny blushed, as she always did whenever he said something like that, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and quietly said, "thank you."

He smiled at her and then pulled her close to him again. He was crazy about this girl.

Wenny closed her eyes, trying to block out everything but Carl. Especially seeing how the sun to starting to set, which meant it was nearing supper time. And, since they had earlier decided for her to stay in her dorm for a few nights, supper meant their time together was quickly running out.

"I'm going to miss you tonight," she said, looking up at him.

"I'm going to miss you too," he said quietly as he continued stroking her hair. He really didn't want to be away from her, but it would give him time to maybe talk to Snape. He didn't really want to do that either, but he felt like it was something he had to do.

Unfortunately, time passed faster than either of them would've liked and the sun was soon out of view.


	23. First Night Alone

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Three: First Night Alone**

Wenny sighed and looked up at Carl. "I guess it's time for supper," she said, frowning a bit.

At least they were able to sit at the same table, however, so she knew their time together wasn't completely over. Though, sitting at a table, surrounded by students, was hardly the same as sitting out by the lake with his arms around her.

Carl sighed and stood up, pulling Wenny to her feet as he did. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and smiled at her. He really didn't want to go back inside or be around other people right now, but he guessed they really didn't have a choice as they had already missed lunch yesterday and breakfast that morning.

Wenny took his hand in hers and started walking towards the castle. "Come on, it's only two nights...and who knows, being away from each other for a couple of nights might actually be good for us," she said, trying to convince herself as well.

"Yeah, maybe," he said quietly as he held onto her hand. He doubted that very much. He knew that it was just going to drive him insane, though he hoped it wouldn't cause him to go over the edge again. The idea sent chills up his spine.

Wenny was watching Carl and noticed how worried he looked. Curious as to why he looked so stressed, she stopped walking and turned to him, "are you ok?"

Carl looked at her with a small smile and nodded. "I'm fine," he told her quietly. "And you're worrying again," he pointed out with a grin.

She rolled her eyes playfully, "what can I say? It's a hard habit to break." Then she looked at him for a moment, "seriously, though...what's bothering you?"

"Nothing, Wenny. Really. I said I'm fine," he said quietly, looking into her eyes. If he told her what was bothering her, it would just worry her even more, and she worried enough as it was.

Wenny sighed, "fine." The word came out a little snippier than she had intended, but she hated when he wouldn't tell her what was bothering him. She knew he was probably doing it because he didn't want to worry her, which worried her in itself, because it must be something bad. But regardless of his intentions, it made her feel rather shut out from him. And that wasn't a feeling she liked very much.

She looked at him for a moment, then turned and started walking to the castle without waiting for him.

Carl sighed as he watched her for a moment. "Wenny, wait!" he called after her. Now he knew how it felt to be left like that. He caught up to her and walked to stand infront of her and stopped. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I just don't want to make you worry even more," he told her. "I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm not going to hide it from you if you really want to know," he told her. He looked at her a little worried, hoping she wasn't too mad at him.

"I appreciate the thought, Carl, really...but I don't like feeling like you're afraid to talk to me," she said honestly. "And you don't _have_ to tell me if you really don't want to, but sometimes it helps to tell someone...and well, I'd like to be that someone, if you'd let me," she said with a slight pout.

He looked at her for a moment. "Come here," he said quietly, taking her hand and leading them to the steps into the Entrance Hall. He sat down and looked Wenny in the eyes. "I do want to tell you," he said quietly.

"Ok...," she replied, watching him and wondering what it was that was bothering him. She wasn't sure what else to say, so she waited for him to continue.

He took a deep breath, trying to think of how to say it. "It's just...It's like you help me control my anger. And I guess I'm just worrying that if I'm away from you for too long, then...I might lose control again." He looked down at the ground. "But I mean, it's not like we won't be able to see each other at all. So it shouldn't really be a big deal," he added, looking back up at her.

Wenny couldn't help but smile a little at his confession. The fact that he was now worried about losing control was a good sign, since a person is more likely to keep themself from doing something if they fear themself doing it. It's when they don't care that they have a total lack of control. Or something like that.

She reached over and touched his cheek, "it's ok. You're gonna be fine without me, I promise."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't believe you," he said with a small smile as he opened his eyes again and looked at her. "Come on," he said, standing up and taking her hand. "We should really be getting to dinner," he said with a sigh.

"I'm offended," she replied, looking at him with a slight grin. "Yeah, we should, unfortunately."

They walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Wenny had all but forgotten about the earlier scene between Carl and her dorm mate, and wondered what dinner might be like. Surprisingly, the girl didn't say a word to them as they sat down. In fact, she didn't even look at them. Wenny glanced over at Carl with a slight smirk.

Carl tried not to laugh as he noticed the girl and smirked back at Wenny. "Mission accomplished," he whispered in her ear with a laugh. "At least I hope," he said as he smiled at her and then looked down at the table. He was determined not to look over at the Slytherin table, risking catching another of Malfoy's glares.

When Carl whispered that in her ear, Wenny couldn't help but laugh. Both because of her dorm mate not speaking to them and because Wenny remembered the other time Carl had used that phrase. She didn't even notice if anyone gave them funny looks or not and to be honest, she didn't care if they had.

He smiled at succeeeding in making Wenny laugh. He looked around the table and at the students for a moment before taking Wenny's hand in his and smiling at her. He actually did hope that she was right about what he had been worrying about.

Wenny looked down at their hands and then up at Carl and smiled. She was trying not to think about saying goodbye to him after dinner. It was going to be odd sleeping in her dorm bed and not having his arms around her, since she had grown so used to it. Possibly even dependent on it. And if that was the case, it was going to be a long night.

Carl didn't eat much during dinner, figuring it was because he had too much on his mind. He was thinking of how much he wanted to stay with Wenny. But he was also thinking of going to talk to Snape after dinner. He was trying to figure out what he would say to him, but he hoped he would be able to subtly find out if the man knew about him and Wenny.

Dinner passed much too fast and before they knew it, it was time to head to their separate common rooms. Normally, it wouldn't be too bad, since they knew they would be meeting again later. This time, though, they knew they wouldn't be together until at least breakfast.

Wenny stood up, pulling Carl up with her, and then glanced at her dorm mates before walking out of the Great Hall. She led him to that corridor they had met in their first night back and before he could say anything, she kissed him.

Carl couldn't help but smile as he kissed her back, pushing her gently up against the wall. He kissed her deeply for a few moments. "I already miss you," he said quietly as he rested his lips gently against hers. He could already feel himself going insane.

Wenny smiled at Carl's comment. He always said the sweetest things to her. She couldn't help but think that he may technically be a Slytherin, but he was practically a Hufflepuff when he was around her...which made her giggle a bit, "I love you."

"I love you too," he said quietly as he put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her again. He knew that they shouldn't stay in the corridor too long, but he really didn't want to leave her. He could stand to stay in the hall all night long. But after a few more moments, he finally pulled away and looked at her with a small, sad smile.

"I know,...we have to go," she said, seeing his face. She put her arms around him and just held him close for a moment. "You're going to be fine, ok? Just imagine me there with you and then fall asleep...and before you know it, we'll be sitting together at breakfast." She was saying it as much for her own assurance as for his.

He nodded. "I still don't believe you," he said with a laugh. He put his arms around her too and held her for a moment before pulling away and smiling down at her. "We really should be going," he said quietly. "But do we really have to?" he whined with a smirk.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes and laughed, "may I ask where you picked up this whining habit from? Not that it isn't cuuuute." She grinned at him, then sighed, "yeah, we have to go. Unfortunately." She gave him one more kiss and then a small smile. "I'll see you in the morning. Don't forget to think about me," she said with a smirk and then walked off towards the Hufflepuff Common Room. She hated to just leave him there like that, but every minute they were together, made it that much more difficult to leave him.

Carl sighed as he watched her leave, having half a mind to go after her, but decided against it. He ran his hand through his hair and walked off towards the dungeons, heading for Snape's office. Once he reached it, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard Snape say from inside.

Carl slowly opened the door, looking inside. He took a deep breath and closed the door behind him and walked towards Snape's desk, just looking at him.

"Sit down," Snape said from behind his desk, staring up at Carl.

"Actually, I think I'm better off standing," Carl said, watching Snape closely.

"Sit down," the professor said more forcefully.

Carl sighed and sat down. He looked down at the ground, wondering if Snape was going to say something.

"You know, when Dumbledore told you and Wenny to stay close to each other, I don't think he meant as close as two have been."

Carl felt a knot in his throat as he looked up at Snape and swallowed. Then he felt his teeth clenching.

A small smirk slowly formed on Snape's face. "Look, I may be your father, but I think I'll spare you _those_ talks," he said with a laugh that surprised Carl, rendering him speechless. Carl began actually looking for a reason to get angry at him and was rather disappointed when he couldn't find one.

"You should probably be heading back to your common room," Snape said as he looked down at some parchment on his desk and began writing with his quill. Carl simply nodded, almost forgetting why he had came there in the first place.

He stood up and watched Snape for a moment. "Thank you, Professor," he said quietly before he turned to the door and walked to it, opening it. He quickly left the office and closed the door behind him.

As she got closer to the Hufflepuff door, the more Wenny started dreading going to her dorm. She still wasn't entirely sure what Carl had said to her dorm mate out on the grounds earlier that evening, so she wasn't sure whether or not the girl would be upset with Wenny.

She walked into her dorm, not surprised to find her other dorm mates all sitting around talking. Of course, as soon as they saw her, they stopped. "Look, guys, I know what you've been thinking and saying about me. And I'm not going to say it's true or that it isn't true. I'm just going to ask that you please stop acting like I'm some horrible person, ok?"

Three of her dorm mates immediately walked over to her and started apologizing. The fourth, of course, didn't move. Wenny had expected as much, though, so it really didn't bother her too much. Though, she hated feeling like someone didn't like her and she knew this was going to create tension in their dorm, since the other three girls were friends with both of them.

Relieved to be speaking to her dorm mates again, Wenny sat on the floor with them and chatted about various things. And though the other girl didn't speak to Wenny, at least she wasn't making catty comments.

The girls sat in the floor talking for what felt like ages. After all, they really hadn't done much talking since before Wenny and Carl had left Hogwarts the previous week, so it was nice catching up on all the events she had missed out on. Finally, though, it was time for bed and the thought made Wenny miss Carl even more. She wouldn't be sleeping snuggled up close to him tonight. She would be completely alone.

After changing into her pajamas, Wenny sat on her bed, pulled the drapes closed, and drew for a little bit before she actually felt sleepy enough to try to go to sleep. As she put her sketch pad on the table beside her bed, she sighed, wondering if Carl had already fallen asleep or if he was still awake, thinking of her the way she was thinking of him.

Carl slowly walked back to his common room. He felt the need to pull out his wand just incase as he entered the common room. He was more than happy to find only a few second and third years still in the common room. He put away his wand and didn't waste any time going quickly up to his dorm and getting quickly into his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

Wenny laid there for what seemed like hours, thinking about everything that had happened in the past week, but mostly about Carl. He had changed so much from the guy he was when they had first met. Of course, when they had first met, Carl was being forced into becoming a Death Eater. But now, he was so open and honest and caring. She couldn't imagine him having ever been able to be a Death Eater. He was much too sweet and genuine for that kind of life. She knew it would've been as much torture for him as it would've been for the victims he would've most likely been forced to have. But that really wasn't something she wanted to think about, so she begin thinking about all of the sweet things he had said to her.

Eventually, she felt her eyelids getting very heavy, so she fluffed her pillow and rolled over, and eventually surrendered to sleep.

Carl tried to name all of the problems that were currently going on. There was the whole thing of the Death Eaters, but that had settled down...at least for now. Then there was Snape, but he tried his best not to think about him. Then there was Draco and Wenny's dorm mate, which made him start to hope that Lucius wouldn't be back anytime soon.

The thing that was always on his mind while he was thinking of these things was, of course, Wenny. Without her there, he felt more alone at that moment than he had in a very long time. He sighed and turned around on his side and finally closed his eyes.

"Wenny, wake up!"

Wenny merely raised an arm and waved the girl away.

"Wenny, get up...you're drooling all over your pillow."

"I am not!," Wenny said as she quickly sat up.

The other girl laughed, "you're right, you're not. But I had to wake you up some how. Come on, we're gonna be late for breakfast."

"I hate you," Wenny said with a laugh, throwing her pillow at the girl's head.

Things were seemingly back to normal for at least four of the girls. The fifth, however, remained distant and moody and refused to talk to Wenny at all. But with three of her friends back, Wenny really didn't care. Let the girl brood all she wanted, just as long as she didn't attack Wenny verbally or physically.

Yawning, Wenny headed for the showers. Fairly soon after, a wet-headed Wenny sprinted down to the common room to catch up with her three friends who were already on their way to the Great Hall.

Carl woke up on his own, a bit later than he had wanted, but hoped it wasn't too late to catch breakfast. He sat up in his bed and, thankfully, saw no one else in the room, so he got out and got a quick shower before going down to the common.

There were still quite a few students there, but he didn't stop to look to see if Malfoy was one of them. He walked out of the common room and out into the corridor and made his way to the Great Hall, hoping Wenny was already there.

Still yawning, Wenny walked with her dorm mates to the Great Hall and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Carl wasn't there yet, which made Wenny wonder if he had overslept or if...no, she didn't want to think of the alternatives.

She glanced towards the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy sitting there, talking to his cronies. She hoped that was a good sign that Carl was fine and was just running late. She turned back to the Hufflepuff table and yawned once more.

Carl walked into the Entrance Hall and turned to go into the Great Hall and saw Wenny sitting at the Hufflepuff table with her dorm mates. He hoped that meant that things were at least a little bit better between them.

He walked over to the table and sat down next to Wenny, giving her a soft kiss on her cheek. It felt like it had been forever since he'd seen her, which may have been silly since it had only been one night.

As soon as she saw him, Wenny smiled, "good morning. Sleep well?" She was so glad to see him again, and to see that he didn't seem to be recovering from an attack.

"Terrible," he said, still smiling at her. "I hope you slept better than me?" he asked her. It really had been the worse night he had had since he had met Wenny, even compared to the nights after they had been attacked by the Death Eaters. He just wasn't used to being away from Wenny at night.

Wenny frowned, "weren't you able to sleep?" She hoped he was exaggerating. "I slept fairly well, actually," she said, then lowered her voice, "I really missed you, though." She glanced over to be sure her dorm mates hadn't heard her. Even though they were now getting along, she didn't want to give them any reason to start talking about her again.

He smiled at her and nodded. "I missed you, too," he said quietly. He covered his mouth as he yawned, and then looked around the table before looking over at Wenny and giving her a small smile.

"Stop that, you'll make me start," she said, laughing. It was too late, though...for she barely finished the sentence before she was yawning. "Look what you did," she teased.

Breakfast appeared on the table, but Wenny was almost tempted not to eat. She just wanted to spend the time with Carl, as they would have to leave for their classes soon.

He laughed and then looked down at the food on the table. He wasn't sure if he was hungry, but he figured he might as well try to eat something. He got a plate and put some food on it, but didn't really eat it, just kind of picked at it. He was really starting to dread going to class.

She noticed him simply picking at his food and her first instinct was to ask him if anything was wrong. But she herself was barely eating, so she couldn't very well question him.

"So, Carl, what's it like being in Slytherin? Is Draco Malfoy as horrid to live with as it seems he would be?," one of Wenny's dorm mates asked. The girl was trying to make him feel included and Wenny appreciated it.

Carl grinned at the girl and nodded, laughing a little. "Yeah, he really is. I personally think that Slytherin wouldn't be a terrible house to be in if Malfoy didn't ruin it," he said, smiling between each of the girls.

Wenny laughed at Carl's comment about Malfoy and then found herself simply watching him. She was incredibly tempted to lean over and kiss him, but she refrained. She'd have to wait until they were out of sight for that.

The rest of breakfast went by without much excitement. Wenny's friends asked Carl several other questions about Slytherin and such, and Wenny appreciated their efforts, but she was glad when breakfast was finally over. She had missed him and just wanted him to herself.

As soon as her dorm mates started back towards the common room, Wenny stood up and grabbed Carl's hand, "come on."

Carl stood up and held onto Wenny's hand, grinning. Wenny seemed just as eager as he was. He was just happy he didn't start kissing Wenny in the middle of the Great Hall, because he had thought about it several times.

He watched Wenny as he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. "Where are we going?" he asked with a smirk. He just wanted to be alone so he could kiss her again.

"Somewhere I can kiss you," she said with a grin. They walked to one of the lesser travelled corridors and Wenny glanced around. Not seeing anyone, Wenny threw her arms around Carl and began kissing him rather passionately. They only had a few minutes before they would have to go to class, so she wanted to make it count. After a few moments, she looked at him, blushing a bit, "sorry, I had to."

He watched her for a moment afterwards, grinning. "Well, why'd you quit?" he asked with a frown. He started kissing her again. After awhile, he looked at her, smiling. "That was nice," he said with a smirk as he held her with his arms around her waist.

Wenny grinned, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I felt we needed to make up for lost time." She watched him for a moment, "I missed you so much last night. Honestly."

He grinned and then held her closer. "I missed you more," he said with a slight smirk as he looked down at her.

Wenny laughed and shook her head, "nuh uh, _I_ missed _you_ more."

Carl grinned and decided to show her just how much he had missed her. He looked around the corridor before kissing her on her neck a few times.

Wenny laughed. "Are you sure this is smart?," she teased. After all, they had just spent their first night apart. Not to mention that they had class soon. Oh, and there was also the fact that they were in a school corridor. Not that she was complaining, though.

He laughed and stopped and brought his lips to hers. "I told you I missed you more," he said with a smirk. As usual, he didn't want to go to class, especially since he had Potions first.

"Hey! That is _not_ the reason I said that," she replied with a smirk. She kissed him once more, then sighed. "Well, I guess we should be going or we'll be late," and Merlin knew they didn't need to be late.

He laughed as he returned the kiss, and then nodded sadly. "Yeah, I guess so," he said quietly. He kissed her on the cheek and quickly turned to go. If he held it out any longer, he figured it would just be harder to leave.

Wenny watched Carl walking away for a moment, tempted to pull him back to her. Unfortunately, they really did have to get to class and she knew that the longer she stood in the corridor, kissing Carl, the more tempted she would be to skip class.

She quickly fell in step beside him, leaned over to kiss his cheek, and whispered "meet me in the Room after your last class." Then she grinned at him and walked off towards her first class, not looking back at him. She hoped that would give him something to think about all day. 


	24. Mood Killer

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Mood Killer**

Carl grinned and raised his eyebrow as he watched Wenny walk away. Great. She just had to torture him like that. How was he supposed to concentrate in class now? Not that he ever really did anyway.

As he walked into potions class, he couldn't even be bothered with the fact that he was in the same room with Snape and Malfoy. All he could think about was Wenny.

Wenny grinned to herself as she walked to the Transfiguration classroom. She figured her comment would probably drive Carl crazy all day, and she felt a bit evil for having done that to the poor boy. She wasn't sure what had caused her to do such a thing, but she couldn't wait to see what kind of effect it might have.

Since she and most of her dorm mates were back on good terms, Wenny wasn't dreading classes nearly as much today. The fact that Carl wasn't with her seemed to be the only bad thing so far, though she would be seeing him again as soon as classes were over. She hoped they passed by quickly.

Classes seemed to be going through some sort of time distortion that day. It was driving him insane. He didn't even think much of the looks that Snape or Malfoy gave him during Potions. And of course he couldn't concentrate at all on the lesson, so he was thankful when potions was over. He didn't take any time getting out of the room so he wouldn't have to face Snape or Malfoy.

After Transfiguration, Wenny walked with her friends to what was the most boring subject ever in Wenny's opinion: History of Magic. She knew this class was going to seem to last forever and she wasn't looking forward to it. Professor Binns' voice always seemed to attempt to put her to sleep, the way he droned on and on and on.

As expected, the History of Magic class seemed to last forever, and she was glad when it finally ended. Her third and final class of the day was Charms, a subject she loved. She walked into the room, sat down at her desk, and wondered how Carl was doing and whether or not he was thinking about her.

By the time he was in his last class, Carl felt like he couldn't even remember ever going to his first ones. He knew he'd probably regret it when it came to the exams, but at the moment, he really didn't care much. He was at least glad to have this class outside in the fresh air. And hopefully Care of Magical Creatures would go faster than the last two.

Charms seemed to go by fairly quickly, which Wenny was sure had something to do with the fact that it was her favorite class.

As she was putting her books away, her friends walked over and began talking about going back to the dorm to hang out. She politely told them that she had some studying to do, even though they all had the same classes. Of course, this bit of news got her a glare from a particular dorm mate, but Wenny didn't care.

"Awww, Wenny...we haven't gotten a chance to hang out as a group for over a week. You can study later," one of them said.

"I know and I'm really sorry, and no I can't. I really need to catch up since I missed those days last week. How about after dinner?," she asked, hoping they wouldn't be suspicious. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be.

She walked with them out of the class and as the others went to the dorm, Wenny pretended to be heading for the Library. As soon as they were out of view, she turned and started toward the Room.

Unfortunately, Carl got paired up with Malfoy to identify body parts of a certain creature that Carl never bothered to remember the name of since he didn't exactly concentrate much on it anyways. Carl began wondering why Malfoy hadn't done anything to him in a couple of days, but he wasn't stupid enough to ask him.

Hagrid actually kept close by to Carl's relief, so the only thing Malfoy was really able to do was glare at him and shoot nasty comments at him.

After class, he practically ran up to the castle and then sprinted up the stairs. Once he got there, he quickly walked past the wall three times and the door appeared. He opened it and went inside and threw his bag next to the wall, and then peered out the door as he held it open only cracked and waited for Wenny.

Wenny casually walked through the corridors leading to the Room of Requirement, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. Until then, she hadn't thought about the fact that she didn't know how to make the door appear and she hoped that Carl wouldn't take too long to get there. The thought of her waiting in the corridor outside of the Room of Requirement didn't exactly make her comfortable.

As she reached the final corridor, she had to suppress a laugh when she noticed the door was already there and was opened a bit. But then she stopped. What if there were someone else already in the Room, other than Carl? She took a few more cautious steps towards the Room and had to grin as she saw Carl peeking out of the door.

As soon as he saw Wenny, Carl reached out for her arm and pulled her into the room, slamming the door shut. He took her bag and threw it on the floor as he started kissing her deeply. "You do know that you put me through hell today, don't you?" he said with a grin and continued kissing her madly.

Wenny was a bit surprised, to say the least, as Carl practically yanked her into the room and started kissing her. Though, she supposed she shouldn't have been, after what she had said to him earlier. At his comment, she laughed. "Did I? How rude of me. Well, I am just so very sorry," she replied with a smirk.

He just grinned and didn't say anything as he continued kissing her and started kissing down her neck. Something entered his mind, and it was like he was completely unable to block it. "Are things going too well for us, Wenny?" he asked her as he stopped kissing her. He hadn't been able to stop himself from blurting out.

Carl didn't exactly mean about their dorm mates, though that was a constant worry. He was more curious as to how the Death Eaters seemed to have just forgotten about them so quickly. It was something he didn't want to think about, but he couldn't help it. It had been about three days that they had been chased by Death Eaters, and now it's like they had given up. Even though he and Wenny were now in Hogwarts, he didn't think that would stop them.

Wenny closed her eyes and grinned as she felt his kisses moving down to her neck. He knew that drove her crazy. But then she heard his comment and looked at him. Perhaps he was now trying to torture _her_ in return for what she had done to him earlier. "What?"

He sighed and looked away. "Not about your dorm mate or Draco or anything. Because I don't think those things would be counted as 'too well'. But I mean, we were wanted by Death Eaters. I know my father. He doesn't give up that easily." He closed his eyes. "I mean Rabastan."

"Well, we're at Hogwarts. As long as we don't go back out on the grounds after curfew, we should be safe here," she replied, hoping it would make him feel better and that he would start kissing her again. Though, she knew when she heard the comment about his 'father' that he was serious and that their kissing session was now over. She sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. "Maybe they're still...distracted...like Professor Snape said...?"

Carl sighed and sat down on the bed and nodded. "Yeah, maybe," he said quietly as he looked down at the ground. He hated how he had to go and ruin the moment. Waiting all day after what Wenny had told him that morning had driven him insane, and now he just had to go and spoil it.

He stood back up and walked over to her and knelt down infront of her. If he didn't do something, he knew he would just keep thinking about it. "Can we forget I said anything?" he asked quietly as he looked at her.

Wenny looked at him for a moment and nodded, though she wasn't sure they would be able to. I mean, how do you go back to being so involved in each other, after talking about your life being in danger? The conversation had definitely been somewhat of a mood killer, but she was willing to try for him.

He took her hands and pulled her up off the chair and walked over to the bed. They sat down and Carl simply put his arms around her. "I'm sorry about that," he said quietly.

"No, don't apologize, it's ok," she replied. Of course, now _her_ thoughts were beginning to be filled with the same questions he had. _Was_ everything going too well for them? Shouldn't something else had happened by now? What _were_ the Death Eaters 'distracted' with and how long would they be distracted? "You're right," she said quietly.

Carl sighed and closed his eyes as he held her close. "I don't know what I'd ever have done without you," he said quietly in her ear as he stroked her hair. "I love you so much, Wenny."

"Carl...," she started. She knew what he meant, though. His life would have been very different had she not spoken to him that night. Of course, that brought her mind back to the Death Eaters. She tried to block those thoughts out, though, and concentrate on being here with Carl. She quietly sighed, "I love you, too."

Part of him wanted to say _I love you more,_ but he didn't think that would change his current mood very much. So instead, he simply sighed and kept his eyes closed.

Wenny looked up at him, wondering what had suddenly got him in this mood. Had he seen or heard something today? Had Draco said something to him? "Is everything ok, Carl?"

"It was ok," he said with a grin. _Then I had to go and ruin it with my big mouth,_ he thought to himself as he opened his eyes and smiled down at her.

She gave him a small smile, then sighed. "Maybe we should just try this again later," she said. As it didn't seem like neither one of them were much in the mood for anything but worrying at the moment.

Carl sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said quietly. The more he thought about what he had said, the more he worried about it.

Wenny stayed in his arms for a few more minutes and then stood up, "um, my dorm mates had asked me earlier to hang out with them, so...um, I guess...I should do that." She didn't really want to leave him, but she didn't want to sit here worrying either. Perhaps hanging out with her friends could get her mind off of things. She only wished Carl could hang out with them as well, though...'cause he seemed to need to get his mind off of things, too.

He looked down at the ground and nodded. After a moment, he stood up and put his hand on Wenny's cheek. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and then walked with her to the door after getting their bags. He had figured out what he would do, although it wasn't exactly to get his mind off of what was worrying him. It would probably just make him worry more.

Watching Carl, Wenny felt guilty for leaving him. "You'll be ok, right?," she asked as they got to the door.

He smiled at her after awhile and nodded. "I'll be fine," he told her quietly as he put his hand on the doorknob to open the door for her.

Wenny gently placed a hand on his cheek, "you better be." She smiled slightly and then kissed him. "Come on, let's go," she said, wishing the afternoon had turned out differently. She still wasn't sure why Carl had suddenly started worrying about Death Eaters in the middle of their kissing session. Not to mention that she was the one who usually worried too much...which, of course, only made her worry more.

Carl gave her a smile and then opened the door. After making sure there was no one in sight, he walked out into the corridor. As they walked down the hall, Carl looked back and saw the door had disappeared already. _Just like the mood,_ he thought.

As they rounded the corner, Wenny stopped dead in her tracks. Standing there, as if they had been expecting her and Carl to be coming from the Room, were Wenny's dorm mates.

"Uh, Wenny, the Library is three floors down," said one of them, raising an eyebrow.

Carl looked from Wenny's dorm mates to Wenny hesitantly, not knowing what to say. Usually, he would have been cool about it and said something. And they hadn't even done anything this time, so he shouldn't have felt guilty. But for the first time, he was lost for words.

Wenny was sure that her cheeks were bright red. They had been caught. Though, they actually hadn't even done anything this time. But still...her dorm mates now knew that they had in fact been going to the Room of Requirement. It practically verified everything they had been thinking about her.

"Oh, Wenny, don't look so shocked. Like we really believed that you were actually going to study when you didn't have to?," the girl said with a grin.

Wenny wasn't sure what to say, "it's not what you think."

"Oh, relax, will you? It's not like we're going to report you," the girl replied. "We just wanted to know the truth. And now we do." She smiled.

"Or at least you think you do," Wenny answered.

Carl looked from the other girls to Wenny nervously. "I better go," he told Wenny quietly. He figured he made things worse right now by being there with her. "But it really isn't what you think," he said, shaking his head as he looked over at Wenny's dorm mates.

Wenny wasn't sure what to tell him. She was afraid that if she told him not to leave, her dormmates would make a comment. But, she really didn't want him to leave. She looked over at him with a slight frown and nodded, "ok."

She looked at the other girls, "if you must know, we were only talking."

The girl laughed, "Geez, Wen...do you seriously think none of us have used that room before?"

Wenny looked at the girl, rather surprised at her admission...and a bit embarrassed by what she was insinuating.

Carl was about to leave when he heard what the girl said. He raised an eyebrow at her and held back a laugh as he stood there grinning. Although, it didn't stop him at all from blushing furiously. He turned to Wenny and grinned. At least it was a change of subject for awhile, he thought, trying to look on the bright side.

The girl noticed their reactions and laughed, "oh my gosh, you did!"

Wenny was still in a bit of shock over the girl's last comment. How come she had never heard about this before now? Maybe because they didn't want Wenny thinking and saying about them what Wenny thought they had been thinking and saying about her. Which upset her a bit, seeing how badly they had treated her. Well, it was mostly the other girl, but still.

"You guys are just...ugh," she said to the girl, then rolled her eyes and laughed a bit. She looked over at Carl, still somewhat embarrassed and unsure, but a bit relieved as well.

He let out a small laugh and shook his head. What was with all the drama that he had noticed happening over the past few days? He laughed again and turned to Wenny. "I should probably go," he said, nodding his head slightly. He figured she'd be ok with her dorm mates now, at least he hoped so.

Wenny watched him for a moment, still not wanting him to leave her, but figuring he probably needed to think about what they had been talking about in the Room earlier. "Ok," she said quietly, then glanced to her dorm mates and back to Carl. She would've kissed him, but she thought it was a bit awkward with the other girls standing right there.

Carl smiled at her, wanting to at least kiss her on the cheek. But he figured that she had been through enough with her dorm mates. "I'll see you later," he said quietly as he started walking towards the dungeons, in the direction of Snape's office. He got there and knocked on the door.

She nodded, "ok," and then watched him walk away before turning back to her dorm mates. "Wenny, you are so funny at times," the girl said, grinning.

"Hush," Wenny replied with a laugh.

They walked back to their dorm and started playing games as they had talked about earlier.

"So...how did you meet him?," the girl asked, watching Wenny curiously.

"Well, we happened to both be out on the grounds one night and kind of ran into each other," Wenny answered.

"Wait, you mean you used to sneak out of here before you met him?," the girl asked, surprised.

"Yes, you just didn't know because I was always back before you guys woke up," Wenny replied.

The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Not like that!," Wenny said, laughing.

"Come on," Professor Snape said from inside his office. He was sitting behind his desk with a stack of parchment, grading homework.

Carl opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind him. He watched Snape for a moment, as the professor did not look up from the parchment on his desk, and then slowly walked forward. "Professor, I was just wondering..."

But Snape cut him off. "Sit down," he said without looking up.

Carl sat down without protest. He knew he wouldn't have won anyway. "Professor, have the Death Eaters completely given up on me and Wenny?" he asked, not exactly hopeful, but curious.

Snape finally looked up and put down the quill he was holding and put his arms on the desk. "No, they haven't, Carl," he said.

Carl looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up. "What are they distracted with right now, Professor?" He was starting to feel a little awkward with calling Snape 'Professor,' but he tried not to think much of it.

"That is none of your concern," Snape said, picking up the quill again.

Carl sighed and stood up. Every time that he wanted to talk to Snape about the whole father thing, he wasn't able to. He didn't think that they would ever be on good enough terms to talk about it. The main reasons that he had gone to see him the past few times was to talk to him about it, but he was never able to.

He walked out of Snape's office, practically slamming the door behind him and started to make his way to his common room. Then he figured he wanted some place to think alone where there was no possible way to be bothered. So he made his way back to the Room of Requirement. But when he got into the hall, he saw Draco going into the Room. He quickly walked back to the corner and peered back around to see Draco disappearing into the Room. He sighed and walked back down to the dungeons, curious as to what Draco was doing in there.


	25. Reasons

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Reasons**

"Ha ha! I won!," the girl exclaimed after a rather rousing game of wizard chess. She stood up and proceeded to do a victory dance.

Wenny laughed, "only because you CHEATED." She knew the girl hadn't cheated, but this was practically a tradition with them. Whoever lost always accused the other of cheating.

"I most certainly did not and I am rather offended that you have accused me of such a thing!," the girl said, still doing her victory dance.

Wenny rolled her eyes and laughed, spotting her sketch book out of the corner of her eye. It made her think of Carl and she wondered where he was at and what he was doing at the moment.

Carl walked back to the dungeons and into his common room. He didn't bother to take out his wand since he had just seen Draco going into the Room of Requirement. He walked over to the darkest corner and sat in an armchair before pulling out a potions book to do some homework. But as he had expected, wasn't able to concentrate on it.

After another game of chess, which Wenny won, it was about time for the girls to head to the Great Hall for dinner. Wenny put her hair up, which was something she rarely ever did. She glanced in a mirror to make sure she looked ok, then paused. Since when did she primp? She shrugged and walked back over to the other girls.

They all walked down to the Great Hall together and, of course, sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Wenny glanced around, looking for Carl, but didn't see him. She figured he'd be there shortly, so she started talking about random things with her friends.

After a long time of staring down at his potions book without reading it, Carl finally closed it. The thought of not going down to the Great Hall crossed his mind more than once, since he knew he wouldn't be able to eat, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stand not seeing Wenny either. He finally stood up and put his book back in his bag so that he could take it up to his dorm.

He went back into the common room and then out into the corridor, heading for the Great Hall. He looked at the tables and saw Wenny and ran a hand through his hair as he walked over to her and sat down. He tried not to look as depressed as he felt. "Since when do you wear your hair up?" he asked her, smiling.

Wenny shrugged, "since now, I guess," then smiled and kissed his cheek. Her hair being up wasn't anything major, but she thought it was sweet that he noticed.

"So what did you do while I missed you?," she asked with a slight grin, but watching him for any sign of an argument with Draco or anything negative, really.

"Just trying to catch up on some homework," he lied, taking her hand under the table. He would probably tell her later what he had really done, but figured at dinner infront of Wenny's dorm mates probably wasn't the best time. "And what did you do while you missed me?" he asked her, grinning at her.

"She lost a game of wizard chess," her friend answered.

Wenny turned to her. "I won one, too, thank you very much," she said with a laugh.

She turned back to Carl, "we basically just played games and such." They had also talked about him, of course, but she wouldn't have told him that.

Carl smiled at her, happy that she had her friends back. The only person he had to turn to lately, other than Wenny, was Snape. And he wasn't much help when it came to the area of "friends." He normally wouldn't have a problem hanging out with Draco, but the boy had been such a slimeball lately. Although, it did seem that he had other things on his mind just like Carl. And, of course, there was the Weasley twins, but they had already graduated. Regardless, it made him happy to see Wenny having fun with her friends.

Wenny watched him for a moment, noticing that something in his eyes looked a bit sad, even though he was smiling. "Are you ok?," she asked, still watching him. She seemed to ask him that a lot, but it was only because she cared about him so much and hated to think anything was bothering him.

He nodded and smiled at her, "I'm fine, Wenny." At least he was now that he was with her. It had been too long of a day. Right about now he was wishing that he had never said anything in the Room of Requirement, not that he hadn't been wishing that since the moment it happened.

Of course, she didn't believe him. He _always_ said he was fine whenever she asked him if he was ok. Most of the time, she had to ask several times before he would finally talk to her. However, since they were currently sitting in the Great Hall, surrounded by students, she wouldn't push the issue, but she gave him a look that clearly said _I don't believe you._

Carl couldn't help but grin at her look as he sighed and looked back towards the table. He would tell her about it later...maybe. He didn't want to worry her, but he didn't want to upset her by not telling her either.

Wenny noticed his grin and elbowed him playfully before turning back to her friends.

The rest of dinner went by without any major problems. Before they knew it, it was almost time for them to go back to the common rooms. Like always, Wenny wasn't ready to leave him yet, but they had settled on two nights without her sneaking out to meet him...and tonight would be the second night.

He laughed and turned to his food, but as he had predicted, couldn't eat a single bite.

When dinner was over and everyone was heading back to their common rooms, he took Wenny's hand and pulled her up and walked out of the Great Hall and into an empty corridor. He kissed her gently on the lips and then looked at her, wondering if she would ask, because he wasn't completely sure he wanted to tell her. He hated making her worry, like he had done that day.

Wenny put her arms around him and just held him for a few minutes, trying to decide how to ask him what had been bothering him. After all, she had to try to ask him again. She wouldn't be Wenny without asking again. "You looked so sad earlier...," she started, watching him, "what were you thinking about?"

Carl wasn't sure exactly which time she had meant, which actually kind of made him laugh a little inside. That must be bad if you don't know out of all the times you were sad, which one someone was talking about. "I went to go see Professor Snape," he said quietly, not really sure what else to tell her. He knew she would probably keep asking since he obviously had things on his mind.

"Oh? How come?," she asked, watching him curiously. He hadn't mentioned wanting or needing to talk to Professor Snape earlier, so she wondered if something had happened while she was in her dorm.

He sighed, reliving the awkward moment he had in Snape's office in his mind. He remembered his main reason for always going in there, but never getting around to it. "I thought he could tell me what the Death Eaters were distracted with. And he probably could have, but instead, he decided to hide even more things from me," he said, muttering the last part.

Wenny noticed his muttering, but decided not to ask him yet again if something was wrong. Not yet anyway. She sighed, "well, at least he said they were still distracted, though,...right?" She hoped so. Because as soon as they were no longer distracted, she and Carl would be in danger again. And seeing how Lucius had gotten on school grounds so easily, she wasn't sure Hogwarts would be the safe haven she had always assumed it to be.

Carl looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "As far as I know," he said quietly. He decided not to tell her Snape's answer to his question of whether or not they were still in danger. Not yet anyway. He wanted to think that he was worrying enough for the both of them.

"Did he say anything else?," she asked, watching him curiously. She could always tell when there was something he wasn't telling her. And it always worried her.

He sighed. "Can't put anything past you, can I?" he asked with a grin, and then took a deep breath. "He just told me that the Death Eaters haven't given up, but I mean, it's not like we thought that in the first place, right?"

Wenny smiled slightly and shook her head, then frowned when she heard his news about the Death Eaters. "No," she said with a sigh, "we figured as much." She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I still don't understand why they're so determined to...to...get us," she said, not wanting to use the word _kill._ "I mean, you would think we had ruined some master plan or something."

He nodded as he started the wonder the same thing. Why _were_ the Death Eaters so intent on that? Then he closed his eyes as he felt his mind go numb. He knew why. Rabastan had told him things that he now wish he didn't know. One of the things, supposedly, being more important than he was supposed to have thought. He figured that the Death Eaters probably thought that there was a chance he had told Wenny, which was why they were after her, too. He kept his eyes closed as the realization took effect. He didn't want Wenny to know, but he knew that she could read him like a book. He could only hope she hadn't noticed.

Wenny could feel Carl tense up a bit and so she pulled back a little so she could look at him. She knew he hated it when she constantly asked him what was wrong, but he very rarely ever _offered_ to tell her anything that was bothering him. She watched him for a moment, then decided to go ahead and ask. "You know, don't you?"

He looked at her for a moment and then sighed, nodding his head as he looked down at the ground. "Yes," he said quietly. As he had expected, she didn't waste any time questioning him about it. But he knew that he would've told her eventually anyway. He felt there were some things he really didn't want to tell her, but he hated hiding things and lying to her even worse.

She wasn't sure whether or not to ask him what their reason was, because she wasn't sure she wanted to know. But on the other hand, how could they fight against something if they didn't know why they were fighting in the first place?

Unfortunately, however, it was about time to go back to their common rooms, so they wouldn't have time to really talk about it at that moment. Not to mention that she didn't think it was safe for them to talk about it in an open corridor.

Wenny knew they had settled on her staying in her dorm for two nights, but she felt like she needed to know why the Death Eaters were so intent on getting them. She'd just have to be sure to be back in her dorm before morning. "Let's meet at the Room tonight, ok?"

He nodded as he looked back up at her and tried to smile. He knew that he would have to tell her sooner or later. And actually he'd rather it be sooner so he wouldn't have to carry it around with him. Although, the second he told her, there would be no going back, and he couldn't use _she doesn't know anything_ as an excuse. He watched her for a moment, knowing that he would have to decide this one on his own.

"Ok, well...we'll meet there at the usual time, ok?," she asked, really not liking how worried he looked. Whatever it was that he knew, she could tell it was major. Or at least it was to him. She put her arms around him and held him close for a few moments, "I love you. Whatever it is, we're going to get through it, ok?"

He held her close too and nodded. "I love you too," he said quietly. He kissed her once on the forehead before turning to go back down the coridor towards the dungeons.

Wenny stood there for a moment, watching Carl walk away and wishing she knew what to do to make the whole situation go away. Why couldn't they just be normal students? Why did they have to constantly worry about their lives being in danger?

With that thought in mind, she sighed and turned towards the Hufflepuff common room.

As soon as she walked into her dorm, she started getting ready for bed...even though she wasn't going to actually sleep tonight. Her friends asked her if everything was ok, but she just shrugged them off and pretended everything was fine. She wasn't sure why, but she was starting to get very worried about Carl.

Carl walked slowly to the common room and entered it, not bothering to take out his wand. At first, he thought that had been a mistake, as he saw Draco. But Draco just simply glared at him and walked towards the exit. "Where are you going?," Carl shot at him. Draco just continued on through the door. Carl rolled his eyes and went to sit down once again in the armchair in the darkest corner of the common room.

Wenny laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Carl. Her mind was rapidly filling with questions she wanted to ask him about what he knew. What exactly did he know? How did it involve him? How did it involve _her?_

Finally, it was time to meet him and she quietly got out of bed and snuck over to the door. She looked back to make sure none of her dorm mates were awake. They all appeared to be sleeping, so she crept down to the Common Room and out the door.

After awhile of sitting there and staring at the fire, Carl finally stood up and walked out of the common room to head for the Room of Requirement. When he got there, he was relieved to see that the door wasn't there, as he had half expected to see Draco there. He walked infront of the wall three times until the door appeared. Then he slowly opened it and went inside, waiting for Wenny.

Wenny slowly made her way towards the Room, careful not to make any sound that might get anyone's attention, ghosts included. At one point, she thought she heard someone approaching, so she ducked into an empty classroom, but she never did see anyone pass by.

She finally arrived at the Room and looked around before quietly opening the door and peeking in. When she saw Carl, she stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind her, "Hey."

Carl smiled at seeing her. It seemed that she could make him smile no matter what was going on around them, and even after what they had talked about earlier. "Hey," he said quietly. He walked up to her and slowly put his arms around her. After a few moments, he pulled away and looked at her. "So what did you want to meet in here for?" he asked her. Although he knew very well what she had wanted.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, considering backing out and not asking him, but she felt like she needed to know. "Well, I wanted to ask you what you knew...about why the Death Eaters are so intent on coming after us," she said quietly, still watching him closely. She wondered if he would actually tell her or if he would try to tell her not to worry about it. Though, she was already worried about it.

"Come here," he said quietly, taking her hands and leading her over to the bed. He looked at her and sighed after they had sat down. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair before saying anything. "I don't want to keep this from you. But trust me when I say that its really not that big of a deal to us. It's just a fact that I know that is obviously not very safe for me to know. Right now I can protect you because you don't know. But the moment I tell you, the excuse that you don't know anything about it probably won't be as effective," he told her.

"Thank you for trying to protect me, but do you think they really care whether or not I know?," she asked. After all, Rabastan had practically tried to kill her and had never once asked either of them if she actually knew anything about whatever it was that Carl was referring to. The fact that she was with Carl seemed to be enough proof for them.

Carl looked down and closed his eyes. "I know where a few of Voldemort's horcruxes are," he said quietly. Maybe if that was all that he told her, he could still protect her. But why did he feel like he had just handed her over to the Death Eaters? The thought killed him inside.

Wenny watched him, not fully understanding why their lives would be in such danger over that. "But it's not as if we're looking for these horcruxes, whatever they are," she said.

"Yeah, but it's basically potential black mail. People kill over that kind of thing. And the horcruxes are very important to Voldemort," he told her. "I guess they think I'll tell someone," he said quietly. And he kind of just did, didn't he?

Wenny sighed, not sure what to say. After a few moments, she looked at him. "So...they are just going to continue hunting us down until...," she started, not wanting to finish that thought. But it wasn't as if he could somehow 'unknow' where these horcrux things were.

Carl pulled her closer to him and laid her head on his chest. He felt a tiny tear in the corner of his eye, but he wiped it away before allowing it to escape. "I'm not going to let that happen, Wenny," he told her quietly.

She wanted to believe him, that everything was going to work out for them. But, they were just two school kids up against an entire army of Death Eaters, not to mention Voldemort himself. They had been lucky to escape three attacks so far, but she knew it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. She closed her eyes and nodded, not sure what to say and not wanting to make him worry about her. But the truth was, she was scared.

He would die before letting anything happen to Wenny. But he wasn't going to tell her this right now, seeing the situation they were currently in. But it was the truth. He held her close to him, never wanting to let her go. Why did he have to get her into all this?

Wenny stayed in Carl's arms for another few moments, wishing everything could be different and hoping that, by some miracle, Professor Snape or Professor Dumbledore would soon find a way to make everything ok. Though as much as she would've liked to stay there with him all night, she knew she better get back to her dorm before her dorm mates woke up and found her missing again. So without looking up at him or pulling away, she quietly said "I guess we should be getting back to our houses now."

Carl nodded and quietly said, "Yeah." He smiled. "We wouldn't want your dorm mates to suspect anything again," he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't help much though. He sighed and stood up with her, looking in her eyes for a moment before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

At his comment, Wenny playfully rolled her eyes and smiled. She still didn't like the thought of people thinking things about her, but since they had actually been 'caught' that afternoon, she wasn't quite so worried about it anymore.

As she stood there, looking at Carl, Wenny couldn't help but think about how much she loved him. And even though their situation wasn't exactly desirable, the fact that this amazing guy actually loved her back made her feel like the luckiest girl alive.

"I love you, Wenny," he said softly as he held her close again. He stood there, really not wanting to leave, but knew that they really should. After a few moments, he took her hand and walked over to the door and looked down at her again for awhile, just smiling at the fact that he loved her so freaking much.

Seeing him looking at her and telling her that he loved her made Wenny blush a bit. She still felt nervous around him at times, because she had never felt for anyone the way she felt for him and couldn't imagine ever not having him with her. If he were to ever, for some reason, change his mind about her and leave, she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it. But that was a thought she didn't want to entertain.

She put her arms around him and held on to him, "I love you, too. _So much."_ After a few moments, she pulled away and gave him a sad smile. "We better go."

Carl nodded and returned her sad smile. He put his hand on the doorknob before giving her a soft kiss on the lips. He was so incredibly crazy about this girl, he wasn't even sure how to put it into words. She was everything to him now.

"We better not start that or we won't leave," she said with a slight grin. She put her hand on his and opened the door.

Peeking out into the corridor, she didn't see anyone. "I think it's clear," she whispered. The only bad thing about sneaking out at night was having to sneak back in without being caught, which was a bit more difficult as some people woke up rather early. However, they hadn't been in the Room that long this time, so hopefully, everyone was still sleeping.

Carl whined when Wenny opened the door, but then smiled at her. He looked past her out of the door and into the corridor before going into the hall and closing the door behind them. They made their way down the few flights of stairs and into their usual departing corridor. Carl turned to her and smiled. "I guess I'll see you at breakfast," he said quietly with a sad smile.

Wenny laughed a little when she heard him whine. He was so cute when he did that.

"Yeah, I'll see you at breakfast," she said, also with a sad smile. She always hated leaving him and no matter how many times they had to say goodbye, it never got any easier.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled before turning and walking towards the Hufflepuff house.

This time he actually did stop her. He jogged up to her and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him, and then kissed her deeply for a few moments before finally pulling away. "Good night," he said with a grin as he turned around to walk towards the dungeons.

Wenny couldn't help but laugh to herself as she watched him walk away. The boy definitely knew how to drive her crazy. She was tempted to run after him, but since it was getting about time for people start waking up, she figured they could continue that kiss later. 


	26. A Free Afternoon

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Six: A Free Afternoon**

Wenny snuck up to her dorm and slowly opened the door, hoping that her dorm mates were all sleeping and she breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared they were. She walked over and sat on the side of her bed for a few minutes, thinking about everything. About Carl, about what he had told her regarding why the Death Eaters were after them, and about what might happen to them.

She put those negative thoughts out of her mind, though, and thought only of Carl and his kiss as she laid down to try to get at least a couple of hours asleep.

Carl went back into his common room, not bothering to even look for Malfoy. Which ended up as not such a bad thing since he wasn't in there anyway. He didn't bother to go up to his dorm. Instead, he sunk down on the couch infront of the fireplace. He stayed awake for a few moments and thought about Wenny. Everytime his mind would wander to the death eaters and what he knew, he would force it back to her.

After having stayed awake for a while, thinking of Carl, Wenny had only been asleep about two hours before her dorm mates were up and talking. Of course, Wenny was hard to wake up even after she had slept all night...so this morning was even worse. She finally woke up, however, when one of her dorm mates mentioned that she was going to miss breakfast, which would mean missing Carl.

She yawned as she headed to the shower, and then afterwards, continued to yawn all the way down to the Great Hall. She hated mornings.

Carl never fell asleep, but was stuck deep in thought. The sound of the students coming down into the common room snapped him back to reality. He sat up and looked around and finally stood up after awhile. He went up to his dorm to get his bag before going back down into the common room and out into the corridor, making his way to the Great Hall.

As usual, Wenny looked around the Great Hall for Carl as she walked over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down. She continued yawning, though, which got her some attention from her dorm mates.

"You seem even sleepier than usual, Wenny...did you not sleep last night?," one of them asked.

"Oh, well, I didn't sleep as much as I should've, I suppose. I wasn't really feeling well," she answered, hoping they would move on to another topic.

"That means she snuck out," another said.

"Was I or was I not sleeping in my own bed when you woke up this morning?," Wenny asked, playfully glaring at the girl.

"Yes, you were. Ok, sorry," the girl said, defeated, as she grabbed a slice of toast.

"Thank you," Wenny said, smiling, yet surprised that the girl let the subject drop.

Carl drug himself into the Great Hall and smiled when he saw Wenny. He sat down next to her. "Have a good night?" he asked her, grinning at her. He surprisingly didn't feel too insanely tired for not sleeping at all.

Wenny grinned back at him, and then yawned...which made her laugh. She had been without much sleep before, so she wasn't sure why she was so sleepy this morning. But she was.

"I did, thanks...how about you?," she asked with a slight smirk.

He gave her a small smile and nodded. "It was good," he said as he looked back towards the table, smiling at her dorm mates politely. He was actually pretty hungry since he hadn't eaten diner the night before.

At this, Wenny couldn't help but wonder if everything was ok. She knew he was tired of her always asking him that, though, so she simply watched him for a moment before turning back to the table and talking with her friends about various things.

In the back of her mind, though, she kept thinking of the conversation they had in the Room last night. She couldn't help wondering if maybe they should tell Professor Snape or Professor Dumbledore.

Carl actually ate during breakfast instead of just picking at his food. Although he couldn't stop thinking about yesterday and everything that he and Wenny had talked about. He knew one thing for certain: classes were going to suck again. And he didn't want to be away from Wenny again that night. He wanted to do _something,_ but not in the Room of Requirement. But he didn't exactly want to go out on the grounds either, risking another attack like Malfoys.

Wenny, being a bit worried about Carl and everything that was happening, wasn't really in the mood to eat, so instead she just basically talked during breakfast, occasionally taking a bite of toast or a drink of pumpkin juice.

After everyone had finished and were talking about heading to class, Wenny looked over at Carl. She wasn't quite sure what to say to him without asking if everything was ok, so she just said "Well, I guess I'll see you after class?"

He smiled at her and nodded before kissing her softly on her cheek and standing up. He had to go to History of Magic. At least that might give him some time to sleep, he thought with a grin. Of course, he'd probably be too worked up with wondering about all the other things going on his head.

Wenny gave him one more look before turning to leave for her class. He definitely had something on his mind, and she couldn't help but wonder what it was. Had he gotten caught sneaking back in last night? Or did Draco or Professor Snape say something to him this morning? She knew the questions were going to bug her all morning.

She had Divination first thing this morning, which wasn't exactly one of her best subjects, but she enjoyed it a bit more than History of Magic. As long as Professor Trelawney didn't predict her death, as she tended to do to some students, she would be fine.

Carl went off to History of Magic. He actually couldn't wait until it was over. Then he got to go to Transfiguration, which seemed to be able to take his mind off things since he had to concentrate more. He got to class and took out some parchment and a quill, but never took any notes. He doodled, never really knowing exactly what it was he was drawing. After class, he leaned back to look at it. It kind of reminded him of a hippogriff.

Wenny's second class of the day was Herbology. As interesting as it may be to some people, she just wasn't in to it. Or perhaps it was because her mind was elsewhere at the moment. But either way, she was glad when it was over.

Her last class of the day was Care of Magical Creatures and as always, Hagrid had some weird creature for them to feed. She couldn't even remember what he had said they were called, she was just glad it wasn't the Skrewts.

After class, she headed back to the Great Hall with her friends. One of them had noticed how preoccupied she seemed to be and asked her if everything was fine, but Wenny just shrugged and told them she was fine. Fortunately, that seemed to appease them.

After Transfiguration and Arithmancy, he headed for the Great Hall. Transfiguration had been slightly uneventful, except for the few glares he received from Malfoy. He didn't mind them though. It seemed the blonde was preoccupied with something and Carl was curious as to what it was. Then again, didn't really care.

Arithmancy had been one of his best subjects, but every time the professor had asked him a question, he wasn't able to answer because his mind was elsewhere. It did embarrass him though, but yet again, he didn't care. It seemed he didn't care about much lately.

Carl finally made his way back to the Great Hall and started to look for Wenny. Classes seemed to have made him miss her even more than usual, if that had even been possible in the first place.

When they reached the Great Hall, Wenny spotted Carl and walked over. She wasn't sure what to say to him, so she just put her arms around him and held him for a few moments, "Hey."

He put his arms around her too. "Hey," he said quietly as he held her close. One good thing about being away from each other for a little while was getting to see each other again, he thought with a smile. Of course, that was the _only_ good thing.

After a few more moments, she let go of him, but grabbed his hand, walking them over to the Hufflepuff table. "Have fun in class?," she asked with a slight grin, figuring he probably had just as much as she had had...which was practically none.

"Oh, yeah. _Tons,"_ he said sarcastically with a smirk. He laughed and shook his head and then turned to her with a smile. "What about you? Did you enjoy your classes, Wenny?" he asked her, grinning.

"Of course I did, Carl," she replied, then laughed. She glanced around, making sure none of her friends were within earshot. "We're going to meet in the Room tonight, right? Because I miss you." She missed their time together. Of course, they had met in the Room the previous night, but only to talk about...a subject she'd rather not think about. But she mostly missed just being in his arms. She always seemed to sleep better that way.

Carl smiled and nodded. "How could I ever say no to that," he said with a grin. "I miss you, too," he said quietly. He was glad that she had said that. He didn't think he could stand another night without her.

Wenny gave him a smile and then sat down at the Hufflepuff table, pulling him down with her and laughing. She always seemed to perk up once classes were over. She was sure it was because she could spend time with him.

During lunch, Wenny noticed Professor Snape watching them and casually mentioned it to Carl. She wondered if Snape had any news about their situation, good or bad.

Carl looked up at Snape, catching his glare. He quickly looked back down at the table and then up at Wenny after awhile. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but thought that it could wait until that night when they were in the Room.

The rest of lunch went by as normal. Just sitting there eating, of course, and talking amongst themselves about random things that they had seen or heard. When it was over, Wenny waited until her friends had left before turning to Carl, "Do you think we should talk to him later?" She was sure he knew which 'him' she was referring to.

Carl bit his tongue for a moment, thinking as he looked down at the table. After a moment, he looked back up at Wenny and slowly nodded. He was rather curious anyways. What could it hurt?

Wenny knew what that look meant. Carl didn't want to talk to Professor Snape...and honestly, Wenny couldn't blame him, even though she was unaware of a lot of what had been said between the two guys.

She sighed and watched him for a moment. "Actually, let's not worry about that now, ok?," she said, standing up and pulling him up with her.

Carl smiled at her and nodded, glad that she had changed her mind. Although, he doubted very much that he wouldn't be able to not worry about it. He stood up reluctantly as he took her hand in his and smiled down at her.

"So...we have a free afternoon. What should we do...?," she asked. She knew he wasn't exactly in the best of moods at the moment, but she wanted to try to cheer him up. "Maybe we could go watch Quidditch practice...since we missed it the other day," she suggested, with a slight smirk.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her and smirk slightly. He looked up at the staff table to see Snape leaving and then looked back at Wenny and nodded. He wasn't completely sure that Quidditch would take his mind off of anything, but they could at least try.

"Unless you have a better idea, of course?," she asked. She knew neither of them were big Quidditch fans...but, she honestly couldn't think of anything else they could do, bar one. After a few moments, she finally couldn't stand it any longer. "Is anything wrong, Carl?"

He raised his eyebrow again at her first comment. "Are you seriously asking me that, Wenny?," he asked with a smirk.

"What isn't wrong? You know what's wrong," he told her. "But I thought we weren't going to worry about it right now," he said with a grin as he looked down at her.

Wenny playfully hit him and laughed. "That's not what I meant. Although...," she said with a smirk, then laughed again.

"Well, we're not worrying about it, per se...I just don't like seeing you like this," she said, watching him.

"And I don't like seeing you worry so much either, you know. But I have to live with it," he said, smirking slightly. He thought for a moment of what they could do. Unfortunately, his mind was too blurred out at the moment. All he knew was that he didn't care where he was, as long as he was with Wenny.

She grinned and rolled her eyes, "Ha ha. You're funny." She knew he was right, though. "Well, since neither of us can really come up with anything to do, how about we just go sit out by the lake?" It wasn't the most exciting of afternoon activities, but maybe that's what they needed, a simple, peaceful afternoon together.

He nodded and smiled at her. "Sounds good," he said happily. Fresh air did sound like a good idea. He took her hand and walked out of the Great Hall and then the Entrance Hall until they were out on the grounds, breathing in the air and Carl feeling the breeze blow through his hair as he ran a hand through it.

Wenny sat down in the infamous spot by the lake and pulled Carl down beside her. She had gotten a burst of energy and was feeling rather cheerful, so she wished Carl would relax a bit. She decided he was too tense and that maybe a massage would help, so she sat behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "You need to relax," she said simply, smiling to herself.

Carl closed his eyes and raised both his eyebrows. "You've got to be kidding me," he said quietly with a grin as he felt his shoulders relaxing. He couldn't refuse a good backrub when he was offered one, he thought as he sat there smiling.

Wenny giggled a little as she continued massaging his shoulders. "Are you starting to feel any better yet?," she asked, with a slight grin.

Carl just made a noise that hopefully came out as a yes. He kept his eyes closed as he enjoyed the massage he was getting. "I hope you know you're next," he said, smirking.

Wenny laughed again, "I look forward to it." After a few moments, she leaned forward and gently kissed the back of his neck, then went back to massaging his shoulders, grinning to herself.

He sighed. "You torment me," he said quietly. "Sweet revenge, huh?" he added with a little laugh. Now he felt like he knew how she felt. He kept his eyes closed to enjoy it.

"But of course," she replied with a laugh. She then leaned back against the tree, pulling Carl back with her and put her arms around his waist, resting her hands on his stomach. "Yours are even worse, though," she whispered in his ear, referring to the effect his kisses had on her.

Carl leaned his head back and looked up at her as he started kissing her neck. "I know," he said quietly with a smirk as he continued kissing her neck for a moment.

Wenny tightened her hold on him as she closed her eyes and had to wait a few moments to speak. "You torment me," she said with a grin, copying his earlier statement.

He couldn't help but let out a little laugh, but never stopped kissing her neck. After a few more moments though, he stopped and laid his head back on her shoulder, staring up at her and smiling.

She smiled at him and then kissed him, before resting her cheek against his. She took one of his hands in hers and laced her fingers with his, tracing shapes on his palm with her thumb.

Carl smiled as he looked down at their hands. "I love you so much," he said softly. He knew that he had never felt like this towards anyone before. This girl made him happier than he had ever thought possible.

Wenny smiled as she kissed his cheek, "I love hearing that." Everytime he said he loved her, it made everything ok. It also made her wonder what she had done to deserve him.

His smile widened. "Good. Because I love saying it," he said with a grin. He really did, because he wanted her to know that he did truly love her. It seemed like it was the only thing that he was certain of lately.

She looked at him for a moment, "I love you, too, Carl. More than I thought I'd ever love anyone." She wasn't quite sure why she had felt the need to say it quite like that. Maybe she didn't think a simple 'I love you' would truly reflect just how much she loved him. But regardless of the reason, it was true. She really did love him more than she ever thought she would love anyone.

Carl smiled as he turned around infront of her. He grinned at her as he looked deep in her eyes for a few moments before giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. After a moment, he deepened the kiss.

Wenny gently placed a hand on his cheek as she continued their kiss. After a few moments, she looked at him with a shy smile. It was so easy for her to lose herself around him.

He smiled back at her for a few moments before sitting up a little and putting his arms around her waist and holding her close to him. He really wished that they could stay like that, but at least he had that night in the Room to look forward to. But he fixed his mind on right now.

She put her arms around him, loving the feel of him being so close to her yet still feeling as if they weren't close enough. She rested her cheek against his and closed her eyes.

Carl smiled down at her as he put his hand on the top of her head and gently stroked her hair. After a few moments, he too closed his eyes and just enjoyed being there with her, feeling as if nothing else existed other than her and him.

"Goodness, you two just can't keep your hands off of each other, can you?"

Wenny laughed and looked over. It was one of her dorm mates, of course. "Nope," she answered simply, not pulling away from Carl.

Carl sighed and rolled his eyes playfully and grinned as he opened his eyes and looked over at Wenny's dorm mate. He smiled at her and shrugged. "I don't think that's even in the realm of possibilities," he said jokingly with a laugh.

"You guys are hopeless," the girl said with a laugh as she sat down nearby.

Wenny laughed at the girl's use of the word 'hopeless,' and then noticed the girl sitting down. She looked at Carl with a small grin, "She appears to be staying."

He sighed and kept one arm around Wenny as he sat up a little straighter, looking over at her dorm mate. He smiled at her politely and then looked back at Wenny. "Two's company, three's a crowd," he muttered jokingly in Wenny's ear.

Wenny couldn't help but laugh at Carl's comment, which earned them a look from the girl. "What's so funny?," she asked.

"Well, it's just that...well...," Wenny started, trying not to laugh.

"Ok, ok...I get it, I'll leave," the girl said, standing back up and giving them a playful glare. "But remember, you're currently out on the grounds and not in the Room of Requirement." She snickered at them before walking off.

"How rude," Wenny said, laughing.

Carl felt himself blushing at the girl's comment, and he quickly looked away for a few moments before turning back to Wenny, smiling. He cleared his throat and looked down at her for a moment and then tucked a strand of her hair behing her ears as he smiled down at her. "That was interesting," he said with a grin.

Wenny laughed. "Awww, you're blushing. You are so cuuute," she said as she kissed his cheek. Normally, she would've been the one to blush at the girl's comment, so she found it rather adorable to see him blush instead.

"You better watch it or I just might have to..." he trailed off as he started kissing her neck again, smirking. "Have to do that," he said as he grinned and kept kissing her lightly on her neck.

Wenny laughed again, "this is the thanks I get for calling you cute?" Though, she was hardly complaining, as she thoroughly enjoyed his kisses.

"Mmmhmm," he said quietly with a laugh as he continued kissing her neck for a few more minutes until he finally stopped and smiled at her for another moment before gently kissing her on her lips.

"Why are your kisses so addictive?," she asked against his lips. No matter how many times she kissed him, it seemed she always wanted to kiss him again as soon as possible.

"I guess I just have that effect," he said jokingly with a smirk. Of course, he could say the same about her kisses. He was crazy about her and it was like he never wanted to stop kissing her.

Wenny laughed. Being in a rather goofy-stupid mood, she said "maybe there should be some kind of support group then. Carl Kissers Anonymous. Though, I _better_ be the only member."

Carl laughed. "Oh haven't you already heard? I already have a fan club," he said jokingly as he kissed her again. "You should join," he added with a grin.

"Oh, really?," she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, what if I don't want to be just one of many?"

"You're the only one," he said softly and then he kissed her again, deepening it after a moment.

Wenny continued their kiss for a few moments and then looked at him, "good. And it better stay that way." She smirked and kissed him again.

He kissed her back and left it at that. He put his hand on her cheek and continued the kiss for a moment and then smiled at her.

"So. About tonight," she began casually, looking down at her fingernails, as it were nothing special. Then glanced up at him with a smirk.

He returned the smirk and raised his eyebrow. "What about it?" he asked as he grinned down at her.

"Well, we _are_ meeting, right?," she asked, "because I really don't think I can stand being away from you another night."

Carl nodded. "I know I can't stand being away from you another night either," he said with a grin. "So we better be meeting tonight, or I may just have to kidnap you right now," he said with a smirk.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun," she replied, raising and lowering her eyebrows flirtingly, then laughed.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Well, alright," he said slowly as he stood up and picked her up in his arms, grinning down at her.

Wenny laughed, "Oh, no...I'm being kidnapped by some really weird guy. Someone help me!" She grinned at him and then kissed him.

He laughed and then returned her kiss before bring two fingers up and pressing them softly against her lips. "Now we can't have any of that, can we?" we said with a grin.

Wenny looked at Carl for a moment, then kissed his fingers rather seductively, not taking her eyes off of his, then shook her head and grinned.

He watched her and smiled. "We could just miss dinner, couldn't we?" he pleaded playfully with a hint of whining in his voice as he looked into her eyes.

She laughed, "you're so cute." She wished they could just miss dinner, but she knew everyone would notice them missing. And though she wasn't quite as paranoid anymore, she still didn't want to create anymore reasons for people talk.

"I know," Carl replied with a laugh. He gently sat her down on the ground again and sat down infront of her and leaned in and kissed her on her lips softly. He really didn't want to go inside, but he knew they would have to be going to dinner soon.

"And so modest, too. How ever did I get so lucky?," she asked, playfully rolling her eyes.

He laughed again. "I'm the lucky one," he said quietly as he kissed her lips again.

"That's right, so you better remember that," she said with a laugh. She stood up and grabbed his hands, pulling him up with her. "Let's go get dinner over with," she said with a smirk.

He stood up reluctantly with her help and let out a whine. "Oh, alright," he said slowly as he looked at her once he was standing up. He kissed her gently on the lips and then started walking slowly up towards the stairs leading up to the Entrance Hall.

"Well, think about it this way...the sooner dinner is over...," Wenny said, looking over at him with a smirk. She wasn't sure why she was in such a flirty mood today, but she was. Even with everything that was going on and the talk they had had the previous evening. 


	27. Pure Torture

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Pure Torture**

Wenny and Carl finally reached the Great Hall and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Surprisingly, her dorm mates hadn't arrived yet.

Carl leaned over as he sat down next to her. "You just love torturing me don't you?" he asked. He sat there anxiously. Now that he thought about it though, he had to tell himself that he couldn't say something with his big mouth to ruin it this time.

Wenny grinned at him, then leaned over and put her lips to his cheek and nodded just slightly, "Mmmhmm." She then kissed his cheek before turning back to her plate, but glanced over at him.

Carl made an almost inaudible noise as he looked at the table. This girl was driving him crazy, he thought as he grinned and kept his gaze at the table.

Wenny knew she was driving Carl crazy, but she just couldn't help herself. Besides, he was the one always kissing her neck when he knew how crazy it made her. Though, in all honesty, she quite enjoyed that. But still.

A few minutes later, her dorm mates showed up and sat down at the table.

"Wow, you guys were here before us?," one of them asked.

"Yeah, I guess we're both a bit hungry," Wenny replied casually, then glanced over at Carl with a grin.

Carl looked down and rolled his eyes as he grinned. Then he looked back up at Wenny's dorm mates and smiled. "Yeah, we're starving," he told them and then looked at Wenny with a smirk.

Wenny couldn't help but laugh at his comment, which made her dorm mates look at them suspiciously. It was true, they were 'starving,' just not necessarily for food.

"Are you guys ok?," one of them asked.

Wenny nodded, "yep, we're fine."

A few moments later, the food appeared on the table and Wenny made a show of getting a little more than usual. After all, they had just told her friends that they were starving, so it'd look odd for them not to eat much.

Carl cursed silently to himself when he realized what he had gotten himself into. How could he possibly eat now? He sighed as he piled food onto his plate and started to eat slowly. As he kept looking at Wenny, it made it hard for him to swallow. Then he looked up at the staff table, wishing he hadn't as he had seen Snape looking at them.

Wenny figured she had tortured Carl enough, so she left him alone during dinner. Besides, she had to focus on actually eating, which she really wasn't in the mood for.

One of her roommates mentioned an essay that was due the following day and Wenny glanced up from her plate quickly. "Crap. I forgot all about that," she said, glancing over at Carl.

Normally, she would've stay up all night writing the essay, but she wasn't about to stand Carl up. Not after having done her best to drive him insane all evening. She would just have to write a very quick essay before time to meet him. Hopefully, the Professor wouldn't grade it too harshly.

He had heard their conversation, but he wasn't exactly listening. He kept his gaze down at his plate, trying to concentrate on eating his meal. His mind was on everything that they had been talking about yesturday since he had looked up at Snape. But he forced himself back to Wenny, and couldn't hold back a grin as she consumed his thoughts again.

Wenny talked to her friends about what the essay was about, so that she'd be able to write it fairly quickly when they got back to the dorm.

When dinner was over, she turned to Carl. "I'm so sorry, Carl. I _really_ need to run back to the dorm right now so I can get this done before...," she said. "I'll see you tonight, ok?" She kissed his cheek and hurried out of the Great Hall.

When she reached her dorm, she immediately grabbed her books and materials and started on her essay. She hated essays altogether, but she hated them even more when she had other places she'd rather be.

Carl watched Wenny leave the Great Hall and then glanced up at the staff table, guessing Snape had already left. Part of him wanted to go talk to the professor, but now he wasn't sure he wanted to go alone. So he decided he'd go back to his dorm for a little while instead. He left the Great Hall and headed towards the dungeons. But as he turned the final corner, he saw Snape talking to Draco. Carl quickly turned back and took the long way back to his common room.

Wenny was not even halfway through the essay when she started feeling frustrated. Why did this have to be due tomorrow? Why couldn't it be due the next day?

She stood up and stretched for a bit, trying to get her mind to focus on the essay topic. Unfortunately, her mind was still focused on Carl. Not that she thought that was an _entirely_ bad thing.

Figuring it was no big deal, Carl quickly pushed what he had seen in the corridor out of his mind and focused back on Wenny as he entered the Slytherin common room. He took a seat in the chair in the corner and pulled out his Arithmancy book. Surprisingly, he got a little bit of work done. Not much, but it was good enough. He was glad when it looked like everyone was heading up to bed. He put his work up and made his way back out of the common room.

Quickly reading through what she was planning on passing off as an essay, Wenny thought it sounded decent at least. Though, it definitely wasn't her best work. Fortunately, it wasn't a potions essay, as Snape would've torn her paper to shreds for being such 'low quality.' Not to mention that Snape would know why her school work was 'suffering,' and might decide to do something about it. But she didn't want to think about that.

As her dorm mates weren't quite asleep yet, she put her books away and then laid down on her bed.

Carl made his way to the Room. He didn't expect Wenny to be there yet due to her dorm mates. He got there and walked infront of the room three times until the door appeared. He went inside and laid down on the bed. He may have been thinking about all that stuff again, but he definitely wasn't going to say anything to Wenny. He figured the moment he saw her, that would change what he was thinking anyways.

Wenny kept yawning, but was able to keep herself from falling asleep. Once she was pretty sure all of her dorm mates were sleeping, she quietly made her way down to the common room and then glanced around before going out into the corridor.

As always, she walked as quietly as possible, hoping that there were no Professors or ghosts strolling around the castle. A few minutes later, she found herself outside of the Room and quietly opened the door and stepped in. She saw Carl lying on the bed and smiled. "I can always come back later, if you'd rather sleep," she teased.

He jumped back up off the bed and walked over to her, putting his arms around her and kissing her deeply. "It's about time," he said jokingly as he held his lips softly against hers.

"That's the welcome I was looking for," she said, grinning, "sorry to have kept you waiting." She stopped herself from telling him about her essay and how horrible it was to do. Instead, she returned his kiss.

"I heard about your essay," Carl said between kisses. "I hope it went good," he told her as he took her hands and led her to the bed, still kissing her.

"It's not my best, but it'll do, I suppose," she replied, also between kisses. She had to grin at their conversation. As if either of them really cared about her essay at that moment.

Carl sat down on the bed and laid down, pulling Wenny with him. He looked into her eyes and smiled at her as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Wenny cupped his face in her hands and continued their kiss for a few moments, then looked at him with a shy smile.

He smiled back at her and held her close for a few moments before kissing her again softly on her lips and then slowly moving to kiss her a few times on her neck.

She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip gently, letting herself enjoy his kisses. After a few minutes, she leaned over and returned the favor by placing a few soft kisses along his jaw and on his neck before returning to his lips.

Carl grinned and then continued the kiss as he put his hand on her neck. Something came to his mind, wondering how they kept getting away with being in that Room. But he pushed that out of his mind and kissed her back deeply.

Wenny continued the kiss as she ran her hand through Carl's hair. She let her hand rest on the back of his neck, her fingers still in his hair, as she looked at him with a slight smile before leaning in to kiss him again.

He grinned as he kept kissing her. He loved every second of being with her and enjoying her kisses. He held her with one arm around her waist and continued kissing her with his other hand on her neck.

Wenny felt his grin, which made her laugh a little as she continued their kiss. She soon started to lose herself in his kiss. Forgetting about everything but him and how much she loved him.

Carl laughed when she did and put his other hand on the other side of her neck, continuing their deep kiss.

She put her hand on his cheek as she continued the kiss for a few more moments. Then, she put her cheek to his and whispered "I love you."

Carl was fixing to open his mouth when the door swung open. Carl looked over at the door and felt himself frozen when he saw Snape in the doorway.

"You two really haven't learned your lesson, have you?" he asked, apparently furious. He had his wand out and he motioned with it out the door. "OUT!"

Wenny cringed as she heard Snape's voice. _Let this be a bad dream...please let this be a bad dream...,_ she thought. Unfortunately, she looked towards the door and Professor Snape was seriously standing there and looked seriously furious.

She glanced at Carl before standing up, then walked slowly to the door, avoiding the Professor's gaze. She was afraid to speak, knowing that he would probably just yell at her. Though, she was sure he was going to do that regardless.

Carl followed Wenny towards the door, looking at the ground. He finally looked up at Snape. "Professor, I can explain," he said quickly. Although, he really couldn't explain, but he thought it was at least worth a try.

"OUT!" Snape shouted, wasting no time poking Carl in the back with his wand as they all left the room, Snape slaming the door behind them. "To my office!" he yelled at them.

Wenny was absolutely terrified. Not only because it was _Snape_ who had just caught them together, but also because she had never been in trouble before. She had a million thoughts running through her brain. Would they be expelled from Hogwarts? Surely not. They weren't doing anything _that_ bad...right? Well, not _yet_ at least.

She was almost afraid to even look at Carl, let alone speak to him, as they walked to Professor Snape's office.

Carl kept his gaze on the ground the entire way to the dungeons. His breathing was becoming slow and shallow. Sure, he was scared of what was going to happen, but he worried more for Wenny's sake. He knew that she wasn't the kind to get into trouble. This was, after all, his fault.

Snape glared at the back of their heads, but didn't say anything as they made their way to his office. Once there, he opened the door and ushered them inside. "Sit," he said stiffly as he walked around to sit behind his desk.

Wenny quickly sat down, still not looking directly at Professor Snape.

"I'm not going to ask what you were doing out of your dorms in the middle of the night, as that is rather obvious," Professor Snape began.

Of course, at this, Wenny was sure her cheeks were bright red. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, she would find herself in her dorm. It didn't work.

Carl slowly sat down in the seat next to Wenny, looking at the ground. He could practically feel the heat from Wenny's cheeks and it made him blush even more. He was afraid to look up at Snape, but did so anyways.

"Do you know what would have happened if one of the other professors had caught you?" he asked angrily. At that, Carl quickly looked back down at the ground.

Wenny was tempted to say 'no,' because she couldn't really see any of the other professors being nearly as terrifying as Professor Snape. She knew that would just make the situation worse, though, so she didn't say anything.

"I don't think you two realize the danger you put yourselves in when you continue to sneak out like this," he began. "Other than the danger of the situation you were just in," he added.

Carl looked back up at Snape. "Really? Well, why don't you tell us," he muttered. He was getting a little tired of having to deal with Snape, and he figured he was ready for whatever the man had to dish out. Although, if Snape said anything to Wenny, Carl would either shut up or just get even more mad at him.

Snape glared at him. "You should really think about taming that mouth of yours, Carl," he spat at him.

Wenny sat there listening to both of them, and not quite knowing what to say or if she should even say anything at all. She still hadn't even looked up at Snape, as she was still terrified of what might happen if she did.

Snape looked from Wenny to Carl and back, "Perhaps I should alert Professor Sprout, Miss Gytha, and let her know to watch you more closely at night. Or tell her to put a charm on your dorm door. Though, given your situation, I'm not sure that would be altogether wise."

At this, Wenny glanced over at Carl. If Professor Sprout did that, that would mean she could only see Carl after classes...which wouldn't be nearly enough for her.

Carl stood up. "This isn't her fault!" he yelled. "It was my idea, Professor! If you want to blame someone, blame me," Carl told him as he glared down at Professor Snape.

"Sit down, Carl," Snape said forcefully. Carl sat back down in the chair sowly, still glaring at him. "Who said I wouldn't do the same to your dorm door?" he asked. Carl could have sworn he saw a glint in his eye.

As soon as Wenny heard Carl, she looked over at him and then looked at Professor Snape. "No, Professor, it was my idea to meet him there tonight," she said plainly.

"I care not whose idea it was tonight nor any of the other nights...or days," he replied, causing Wenny to blush furiously once more. She mentally berated herself for being so foolish as to believe they had been getting away with it.

"So what are you going to do with us, _Dad?"_ he asked. After he said it, he couldn't believe he had. He thought that maybe he had said it to piss Snape off, but now he just thought maybe it had been a stupid thing to say all together.

Snape just glared at him, apparently at a loss for words. "I have yet to decide. It seems house points won't teach you much of a lesson," he said. Carl figured Snape had just simply ignored him calling the man 'dad,' and was actually quite glad for it.

Wenny looked over at Carl when she heard him call Professor Snape 'dad.' She figured he had simply said it out of spite or anger, but it was still odd hearing him refer to Professor Snape as such.

"Professor, will you be writing...," she began, but was cut off by Snape. "...writing your parents? Yes, Miss Gytha." But as soon as he said that, he paused and looked at Wenny closely. "Does your father go by Dray?"

Wenny really didn't see what that mattered, but she answered anyway, "yes." Though, from the look in Snape's eyes, he knew of her father. "Hmmm...," was all he said for a moment.

Carl looked from Wenny to Snape and watched him curiously for a moment. "Professor, it's not her fault. You shouldn't just..."

"As I said before, I don't care who's fault it is," he said as he glared from Carl to Wenny. "As far as I'm concerned, it is both of you." His eyes landed on Wenny for a moment.

Carl sighed. "So are you going to be writing my parents? Oh wait, I forgot. I don't have any!" he shot quickly at Snape.

"That is enough!" Snape yelled.

Wenny glanced at Carl and gave him a look of _please don't make the situation any worse?_. She could understand his outburst, but she really didn't think they were in any position to upset Professor Snape or they were sure never to see each other again except at mealtimes. And possibly not even then.

Snape stood and walked across the room for a moment, then walked back, his gaze not leaving Wenny, as he tried to think of why he hadn't realized who she was before now. Wenny began feeling extremely uncomfortable under his constant scrutiny. "Professor? Do you know my father?," she asked hesitantly.

"I have heard of your father, Miss Gytha," he said simply before turning away and walking back behind his desk.

Carl caught Wenny's look and then looked back down at the ground. After a short moment, he looked back up at Snape and noticed him looking at Wenny. He looked from Wenny to Snape a few times as he listened to them, and then looked at Snape curiously, wondering how he knew Wenny's father, but not asking.

After what seemed like forever, Snape finally sat back down and kept his gaze to Wenny for a moment. "I think writing your parents will be enough for now. But if I ever catch either of you out of bed in the middle of the night again, I can promise you there will be more," he said, glaring from Wenny to Carl.

Wenny nodded understanding. She could only imagine what her father might think when he received the letter from Professor Snape, though. Maybe he would be happy that she was showing some kind of 'rebelliousness,' after so many years of being shy and not causing any trouble. And if Professor Snape included the fact that the guy was a Slytherin, she was sure her father would definitely be happy. Though, Professor Snape probably wouldn't include that bit of info. Unfortunately.

"Well, that is all. For now.," Professor Snape said, standing and walking towards the door. "Carl, I'd like you to walk Wenny to her house and then promptly return to my office," he instructed before opening the door.

Wenny watched Professor Snape curiously for a moment, then glanced at Carl before walking out of Professor Snape's office.

Carl was a little surprised and wondered what exactly Snape could want with him, but he nodded and then walked out of his office with Wenny, closing the door behind them. "I'm so sorry," he said quietly as they started to walk slowly. After all, it had been his fault. If he didn't always want to be with her, she wouldn't have felt the need to sneak off in the middle of the night, resulting in them getting into trouble and Snape writing to her father.

Wenny was a little afraid to even take his hand, as she could imagine Professor Snape walking out of his office and seeing them and fussing at them some more. So instead, she just walked along beside him. She shook her head at his comment, "Don't apologize, you didn't force me to sneak out and meet you."

He sighed and shook his head. "I just as well had," he said quietly as they walked down the coridor. He wondered if they would ever be able to meet after curfew again. He knew it wouldn't be anytime soon though.

Wenny stopped walking and looked at him, "Carl, how can you say that? I'm the one who has done pretty much everything in my power to drive you crazy today." She grinned at him, then started walking again, figuring he needed to get back to Professor Snape as soon as possible to avoid getting himself into more trouble.

Carl couldn't help but smile at that as they started walking again. "Yeah, you know you really did," he said with a smirk. "But I didn't help much either," he said quietly.

"All you are guilty of is not stopping me," she said, "but it's not like you could have done that anyway." She gave him another grin and then looked back to make sure Professor Snape wasn't watching them. Not seeing him, she took Carl's hand as they walked the rest of the way to Hufflepuff House.

"If Professor Snape somehow has eyes in the corridors, I'm sure we'll hear about it, but I can't go to bed without it, so...," she leaned in and kissed him for a few moments. "Good luck," she said quietly. She hoped Professor Snape wouldn't be too tough on him.

He smiled as he continued the kiss and then smiled sadly at her as he knew they had to leave. He nodded and kissed her lips softly one last time before turning to leave, to sadly go back to Snape's office.

Wenny watched Carl leave, then quietly went up to her dorm. _Well, that didn't exactly go as planned,_ she thought as she went and laid down on her bed, sure she wouldn't be getting much sleep.

Carl slowly walked back to Snape's office and knocked on the door, dreading even hearing Snape's voice at this point.

"Come in," he heard.

Carl opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him. He sat down before he was told to, knowing it would happen anyway.

Professor Snape was sitting behind his desk and motioned to a chair for Carl. As soon as Carl had sat down, Professor Snape leaned foward. "Carl, I just wanted to make you aware of something that I, regrettably, hadn't realized until just a few moments ago," Snape began. He wasn't quite sure how to tell the boy, but he figured he needed to know.

"I'm sure you heard me tell Wenny that I had heard of her father?," he asked.

Carl watched Professor Snape curiously for a few moments before nodding slowly. He wondered what the man's sudden seriousness could possibly be about. It seemed so strange.

Professor Snape watched Carl for a moment and then sighed, "There's really no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to get it out there. Her father, Adrastos 'Dray' Gytha, is a Death Eater, Carl. A rather powerful one at that. Not quite the rank of...Rabastan, but powerful nonetheless."

Carl looked at him curiously and then looked around the room, trying to think of what to say. That would explain why Wenny's father had been upset about her being sorted into Hufflepuff. But what would that mean in the long run? He finally looked back up to Snape. "What does that mean, Professor?" he asked. It may have been a stupid question, but at this point, he didn't really care.

"Well, for the moment, it means that I won't be writing her father about...tonight's events," he said, looking over at Carl. "We don't need him to be suspicious that anything regarding Wenny is out of the ordinary, though I'm sure he already knows about her being with you last week. Why he hasn't written to her about it is rather odd to say the least." He paused for a moment, "Perhaps this means that she doesn't know."

Carl just looked down at the ground, not knowing what to say about all of this. "Do you mean that I have to hide this from Wenny?" he asked Snape after a little while. If he had to hide that from her, he didn't know what he'd do.

"I do think that would be the smartest thing to do," Snape replied, "though, you _obviously_ know her a bit better than I do." He stood and walked across the room for a moment, "So, I'll leave that to your discretion."

Carl sighed and rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he muttered. Figures that Snape would leave him to decide whether to hide or keep the fact that Wenny's father was a Death Eater from her. He stood up and turned to Snape. "Am I excused?" he asked a little rudely than he had intended.

Snape sighed, "I suppose." He motioned towards the door, then walked back to his desk and sat down. He wondered if Carl or Wenny would ever realized how truly desperate their situation was. Obviously, they hadn't yet or they wouldn't be so deadset on sneaking out all over Hogwarts property at night. And with this new development, their situation had just gotten even worse, though he didn't think they needed to know that quite yet.

Carl sighed and walked quickly towards the door and went outside, closing the door behind him. He walked slowly towards his common room, his hands in his pockets. Now he had to decide whether or not to tell Wenny that her father was a Death Eater. She deserved to know, he knew that much. And he also knew that she would know something was wrong if he kept hiding it from her. Maybe he could pretend everything was alright if he really tried, but part of him doubted that he could. No matter, keeping this from Wenny would be pure torture. Though, telling her would be torture as well. He sighed as he walked into the common room and over to the chair in the darkest corner. 


	28. No Big Deal

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: No Big Deal**

The following morning, Wenny was even more difficult to wake up than before. Partly because she had Potions that day and she wasn't looking forward to being in a classroom with Professor Snape after last night's events. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to look at him without blushing, but she knew she had no choice in the matter. She had to go to class.

As usual, she took a quick shower, dressed, and then headed down to the Great Hall with her dorm mates. Once there, she sat down at the Hufflepuff table and waited for Carl.

Carl had fallen asleep in the armchair in the corner of the common room. He woke up to the sound of a few second through fourth years. He quickly grabbed his bag from his dorm and headed down to the Great Hall. Part of him actually didn't want to have to face Wenny. He went to the table and sat down next to her, smiling and trying his best to pretend like everything was alright. He was going to give her a kiss on the cheek at least, but thought he better not after seeing Professor Snape at the staff table. Thankfully, the man was talking to another professor.

Wenny noticed Carl's hesitation in kissing her, but figured it was probably because of them being caught last night. "So what did Professor Snape want last night?," she asked. She hoped he hadn't yelled at Carl or punished him too harshly.

Carl had figured she was going to ask him that question, so he was ready to answer it to where it at least looked like he didn't just make up an answer on the spot. "He just did the whole guilt trip, 'you're a fool' thing," he told her with a grin as he looked from the table to her, watching her, hoping she believed him.

"Oh, yeah...that again," she said with a slight grin. They had been called 'fools' by Professor Snape plenty of times so far. Though, she couldn't help but think that Carl seemed to have answered rather quickly. She shrugged the thought away, though.

She looked at him for a moment, "You remember Professor Snape saying last night that he had heard of my father? What do you think he meant by that?" It wasn't the fact that Professor Snape mentioned having heard of Dray Gytha, it was more the way he had said it. As if her father had some kind of reputation that Snape was rather familiar with.

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said slowly as he turned his head back towards the table, but kept his gaze on Wenny. "That was kind of odd," he said. He hated keeping this from her. It made him feel like the bad guy, but part of him felt like he didn't have a choice.

"Yeah, it was," she said, watching him. He was acting a bit odd this morning, but she still thought it probably had something to do with last night. "I guess we better not risk sneaking out for a while, huh?"

Carl smiled sadly at her and nodded, realizing that's what being caught pretty much meant. He was glad that tomorrow was the last day of classes before the weekend, though. That was at least something, he thought. Although he didn't think he could thoroughly enjoy it when he was hiding something from Wenny.

"You're quiet this morning," she commented, "is everything ok?" She knew he didn't like her asking that, but when she was more relaxed than he was, something was up. She was usually the one worrying about everything. "If it's that we got caught, it'll be ok. We'll figure something else out."

He nodded and smiled at her. "I know," he said quietly. He hated Snape right now for putting him in this situation. When breakfast came, he didn't eat. He just simply picked at his food. But that could be expected, he hoped, after what happened last night.

Wenny kept glancing at Carl during breakfast. She could tell that something was bothering him and since she herself wasn't that worried about them being caught any longer, she didn't think that was what was bothering him. He was usually the casual, nonchalant one. Why would this be bothering him so much more than it was bothering her? She decided she would ask him after classes were over. For now, though, she would simply act as if she didn't notice a difference.

After breakfast she turned to him, "don't let it bother you too much, ok?" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled before standing up. "Well, classes. I have Potions today. Wish me luck," she said with a slight grin.

He stood up and smiled at her. "I'm sure you'll be ok," he told her. He would think Snape would go easy on her after what he had told him last night, at least he hoped so. "Don't let him bother you too much, ok?" he said.

She nodded and gave him a smile, "I'll try not to." She watched him for a moment and then gave him a hug, holding onto him for a few moments. "I'll see you later, I guess." She gave him a small wave before turning to go to her first class. Fortunately, Potions wasn't until later.

Her first class went by pretty quickly. She turned in her essay, though she dreaded what grade it would receive and then headed to her second class: Charms.

Carl went to his classes throughout the day, arguing with himself whether or not to tell Wenny about her father. If he didn't tell her, she would find out sooner or later. And then Wenny would probably get upset at him for not telling her. But he was afraid of what Wenny would do if he did tell her.

He went to Transfiguration and Herbology without even so much as a glance in Malfoy's direction. It seemed he really didn't care about him at this point, although he wouldn't doubt Draco was burning holes in the back of his head with his glaring.

After Charms, Wenny had Potions, which she wasn't particularly looking forward to. When she walked in the room, she quickly went straight to her desk and sat down, purposely avoiding Professor Snape's gaze. And he did seem to be watching her rather closely. He didn't say anything to her, however, which she was thankful for.

When class was over, she headed back to the Great Hall to meet Carl. She had decided earlier that she would ask him what had been bothering him during breakfast, but now she figured she'd wait and see what he was like. Perhaps he would be over it. She hoped so at least.

After his last class, Carl was still fighting with himself. He figured he would just worry about it later. He made his way to the Great Hall, trying to clear his head so Wenny wouldn't suspect anything. He could tell that she had a little bit that morning. He couldn't blame her though. He wasn't exactly himself. He saw Wenny and headed towards her. "Hey," he said quietly as he smiled and kissed her softly on the lips.

She smiled at his kiss, "hey." Perhaps he was over it, but she'd still watch him closely for a while to be sure. "How were classes?," she asked.

"Oh, I guess they weren't as bad because of the fact that you can't torment me anymore," he said with a grin. "How were yours?" he asked her.

"Oh, just because we can't meet doesn't mean I can't torment you," she replied with a smirk. She sighed, "they were alright, I guess. Snape didn't say anything to me, thank goodness."

He raised an eyebrow at her first comment and then gave her small smile. "That's good," he said. If Snape had given her any trouble, he would've had to do something about it. But he hadn't thought that he would have anyways.

Wenny saw him raise his eyebrow at her first comment, and laughed. She might have to try it out tomorrow morning to prove her point.

"Yeah, I was a bit worried he would say something about last night, but he never did. He kept looking at me, of course, but...I can take that," she replied casually. Though, as casual as she may have sounded, she was secretly trying to keep talking about Professor Snape so that she could watch for any kind of reaction on Carl's face.

Carl nodded, trying to seem a little distracted by his surroundings of the Great Hall. He looked back at Wenny and shrugged. "Well, I guess that's understandable," he said, smiling softly at her. As much as he wanted to hide this from her, it was like he was becoming a worse and worse liar. But it was more so the stress of hiding something from _her_, the one person that meant more to him that anything else.

She thought he seemed a bit uncomfortable, but she wasn't completely sure, so she continued to watch him closely, "I have Potions again in a few days, maybe he's just biding his time, trying to make me sweat a bit. I wouldn't put it past him." She glanced around before continuing, "surely, he's going to say _something_ to me. I mean, I think I got off pretty easy, actually. At least he didn't keep me after class or something like he kept you last night."

Carl nodded, wishing Wenny would stop talking about Snape. Maybe she knew something was wrong and she was doing it on purpose. The thought made him grin a little. She was good. "Well, you know, I think he's going easy on both of us because of what happened to us," he told her, stopping himself from saying _'and what might happen to us.'_

Wenny sighed. She hadn't thought about that, "yeah, maybe you're right." But when did Snape care? Hadn't he called them 'fools' less than a day after they had both been crucio'ed? She looked at him, "why would he suddenly start caring about that, though?"

Carl shifted a bit awkwardly, but came up with an answer. "I think he does deep down, he's just afraid to show it," he said with a smirk. The thought of Snape actually caring was quite humorous to him. But his answer made sense...kind of.

With that, Wenny definitely knew something was up. She looked at him for a moment, "Carl, is there something I need to know? Like are the Death Eaters no longer distracted or something?" Maybe that was why Snape had been so furious with them being out of their dorms.

He sighed and shook his head, smiling at her. "Wenny, you always think that something's wrong. Maybe this time it's really nothing, and I'm just a little bothered by everything that you already know of," he said as he smiled down at her. Why did he feel like he had to keep lying to her? He ran his hand through his hair as he kept smiling down at her.

"Or maybe you're 'just a little bothered' by something Snape told you last night after I left," she said, watching him. The fact that he seemed to be keeping something from her worried her. As far as she knew, he had never kept anything from her before. Sure, he had told her not to worry about him whenever he happened to be worried by something, but if she asked him to tell her, he always did. Didn't he?

"Wenny, I think you're just a little paranoid after everything that has happened," he said with a grin. He shouldn't have called her paranoid. He should tell her the truth, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Am I, Carl?," she asked him directly.

He nodded as he looked her deep in the eyes. "Yes," he said quietly. Why had he done that? He lied straight to her face and it made him feel numb and cold inside.

She looked at him for a moment, not really believing him, but not wanting to not believe him either. "Ok then," she said, then looked away. She didn't know why, but she got the feeling that Carl had just lied to her. And that _really_ worried her.

He smiled at her and then took her hand. "Come on, what are we going to do today?" he asked her, doing his best to cheer them both up. And trying to get his mind off of the fact he just lied straight to her face.

Wenny was a bit too bothered by the fact that Carl seemed to be keeping something from her to really be interested in doing much. It was going to kill her to do this, but maybe it might convince him to be honest with her. "Well, I actually have a bit of studying that I need to do."

Carl looked down at the ground and sighed, nodding slowly, and then looked back up quickly. "Yeah, you know what? I have some too," he told her, smiling sadly at her. "I guess I'll see you at dinner," he said, turning to go. If he just told her, he would save them both so much trouble.

When she saw him turn away from her, she went numb. She knew that whatever he wasn't telling her was _major._ Why else would he not even attempt to convince her to stay with him? She felt like she was about to cry, "Carl?"

He stopped and closed his eyes, glad that she had said something. He slowly turned around. "Yes?" he said quietly. He knew he wouldn't be able to go long with keeping this from her.

She just looked at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say. "Please tell me whatever it is you know," she said quietly, refusing to cry. Though the fact that he almost just walked away from her again had hurt.

Carl walked slowly back towards her and closed his eyes. "Please don't ask me to do that," he said quietly. He knew he couldn't at least keep the fact that he was hiding anything from her. But he dreaded what she'd do when she found out, and now what she'd do since he had kept this fact from her.

Wenny looked away from him for a moment. So he _was_ keeping something from her. And the fact that he lied to her, almost walked away from her, and now still refused to tell her was _really_ scaring her. "Carl, is it really _that_ major? That you would lie to me?"

He kept his eyes closed and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly. Although he doubted very much that sorry was enough. He had lied straight to her face.

"I'm only going to ask you once more, and if you still refuse to tell me, then I'm going to...go...study," she said, though even if he refused to tell her, her mind was now too preoccupied to get any studying done. "Will you _please_ tell me what you know?"

He took a deep breath and looked back up at her, shaking his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly, "I can't." He just wasn't ready to pass this on to her, but he was ready for any anger she may have to give him. "Please understand," he added quietly, but not really expecting her to.

Wenny looked at Carl for a moment, truly hurt. "Ok then," she said quietly before turning and walking out of the Great Hall. As soon as she was in the corridor, her eyes welled up. How could everything go from being so great yesterday to him lying to her today? Whatever it was, it couldn't be _that_ major. They could handle it together. Though, obviously, he thought differently. Did he not trust her?

Carl watched her walk out of the Great Hall and stood there for a moment. He knew that Wenny was tough and could deal with the fact. He also knew that she deserved to know. So why couldn't he just tell her? He figured it was probably because he was worried how she would take it, if she didn't already know.

He sighed as he walked out of the Great Hall and caught up to Wenny, grabbing her arm and turning her gently towards him. He wasn't surprised to see tears in her eyes, and it bothered him that he knew it was his fault they were there. "Can we go to the Room?" he asked her quietly.

He knew that if Snape caught them in there during the day, not doing anything, he would hopefully figure it was just Carl telling Wenny what he had been told last night.

When she felt Carl grab her arm, she quickly blinked back her tears and then pulled her arm away from him. She was tempted to tell him 'no,' and continue on her way to her dorm. But instead, she just looked at him, trying to decide what to do. After a few moments, she turned her head away from him and nodded slowly.

Carl watched Wenny for a moment, having expected as much from her, and now he knew how she felt. He wanted to take her hand and tell her how sorry he was, but decided against it. So instead, he turned around and started towards the Room, not looking back at her to see if she was following. He had to watch where he was going closely because his eyes were blurred from a few tears that seemed to be coming to his eyes. He felt like he had ruined everything, and now he was having to decide if he was going to actually tell her or not as he made his way to the Room.

Wenny watched Carl for a moment as he walked towards the corridor where the Room was. At the moment, she just felt like she wanted to be alone, so she actually considered not following him. She hadn't expected him to actually lie to her and she wasn't completely over it yet. Figuring that she needed to know what it was he knew, whether or not it was something she actually wanted to know, she started following him.

Carl walked slowly towards the Room and then walked back and forth three times infront of the wall until the door appeared. He opened it and held it open for her and looked down at the ground, afraid to look into her eyes at the moment.

Wenny looked at him as she walked into the Room. It bothered her to see him like that, which again, made her extremely nervous. Maybe he was right. Maybe whatever he knew was something that she didn't need or want to know. Instead of thinking that he didn't trust _her,_ why didn't she realize that she wasn't showing _him_ very much trust at the moment? As soon as they were both in the room, she turned to him. "I'm sorry, Carl."

Carl closed the door softly and finally looked up at her, shaking his head. "Don't say that. You shouldn't be apologizing. I'm sorry I lied to you. I know that this is something you have every right to know." He took a deep breath and walked up to her. "I'll tell you this, Wenny. And then, if you want, I'll let you be alone. But I want you to know that I'm here for you, always," he said quietly.

"You're scaring me, Carl," she said, looking up at him a bit nervous. And he was. Why would she need to be alone after he told her whatever it was? He was acting as if someone had died.

Carl sighed. "I'm sorry, Wenny." He knew how hard it was to deal with information that you didn't know before that involved your parents, since he had been there. He walked up to her and looked down at her. "Do you really want to know this?" he asked her seriously. He thought it was a pretty serious thing, and he wanted to make sure Wenny was ready for it, it being her father and all.

_Did_ she want to know? To be honest, she wasn't sure. Part of her did and part of her didn't. And the fact that Carl even asked her that question caused her nervousness to build even more. "Well, I suppose I need to? I mean, if it involves me, which it obviously does...?"

"Come on," he said quietly, hesitantly walking past her, not taking her hand like he wanted to. He walked over to the bed and sat down, motioning for her to do the same. He knew that she would find this out sooner or later, and hoped it would be easier to take coming from him.

Wenny watched Carl walk over, sit down, and motion for her, so she walked over and sat down beside him, then turned to face him. She wasn't quite sure what to say, so she just watched him, preparing herself for whatever he was about to tell her. But how do you prepare yourself for something when you have no idea what it might be?

Carl took a deep breath. "It's about your father. There's a reason that he wanted you to be in Slytherin and why he says you're too kind." He took another breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Wenny...he's a Death Eater," he told her. "That's how Snape knows him," he added quietly, watching her for her reaction. He was ready to comfort her if she wanted, but he was also ready to leave her alone if she needed.

She just looked at him for a minute, not sure she had just heard what she thought she heard, then shook her head slowly. "No, my father is...stern and...cold at times, but...he wouldn't do..._that,_" she said slowly.

He sighed and looked sadly at her. "Wenny, I'm so sorry," he said quietly. He knew this wasn't easy for her, but he didn't know how he could help her, so he just watched her for a moment.

"Don't apologize, Carl...Snape is wrong," she said simply. She knew he wasn't though. She had heard and seen too much for it not to be true.

"Wenny," he said quietly. He took another deep breath. "I'm sorry I lied to you earlier. I really am," he said, but he knew that wasn't the biggest thing right now. The biggest thing right now was Wenny finding out her father was a follower of the Dark Lord.

Wenny shook her head, "it's ok, Carl." She leaned over and kissed him. Maybe she was dealing with it the wrong way, but Wenny wanted to just act as if Carl hadn't said anything. Just ignore it and it'd go away, right?

Carl kissed her back, but then pulled away and looked at her. "Wenny," he said quietly as he looked her in her eyes. He thought that it was probably not the best thing for Wenny to do right now.

She felt him pull away from her and looked at him, "what is it, Carl?" She gave him a slight smile, just wanting to forget about what he had told her. Why wasn't he letting her do that?

"Wenny, I can tell you from experience that this isn't the way to deal with it. If you want to be left alone, then I'll let you deal with it. But I'm here for you," he said quietly. "Please don't try to deal with it this way though," he told her, taking her hand gently.

"What way?," she asked with a slight grin, "and no, I don't want to be left alone." She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, still watching him.

Carl sighed and looked at her seriously. He couldn't determine exactly what was going through her mind right now, and frankly, he was worried about her.

She noticed the way he was looking at her, "I'm fine, Carl. Honestly. My father's a...a Death Eater...it's...it's not a big deal." As soon as she said it, though, it seemed more real. But she pushed that thought out of her mind again and smiled at him.

He kept looking at her seriously and then put his hand on her cheek. "Wenny, I want you to know that I love you so much and I will always be here for you. If you need to talk about it, I'll listen," he said quietly. He could tell that it wasn't 'not a big deal' for her.

Wenny put her hand on his and closed her eyes for a moment, then shook her head slowly, "I don't need to talk about it. Can't we just change the subject or something?" It was starting to get to her and she didn't want to let it.

Carl wanted her to let what she was feeling out, but he knew he couldn't make her. He slowly nodded, but kept looking at her seriously. Part of him now actually regretted that he had told her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?," she asked slowly, "I'm fine, I promise." She leaned over and put her arms around him.

Carl slowly put his arms around her and nodded. "Alright," he said quietly. Maybe she really was alright. He smiled at her and stopped himself from asking her if she was sure.

As soon as Carl put his arms around her, Wenny couldn't deny it anymore. Still holding onto Carl and without looking at him, she quietly asked, "Snape isn't wrong, is he?"

He slowly shook his head. "No, he isn't," he said quietly, holding Wenny. He was kind of glad that she wasn't totally dismissing it, but he knew that this was going to be hard for her. 


	29. Pillow Fight

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Pillow Fight**

Wenny looked at Carl, "how am I supposed to face him? My father, I mean? We go home for break soon...how am I supposed to be in the same house with him? He'll know I know. What if he gets angry?" There were about a thousand questions going through her mind at the moment.

"I don't know," Carl said quietly. He really didn't know how to answer her questions. But when she brought up break, he wondered where he would go. Was he going to stay with Snape in the castle? He knew he wasn't going to go back with Rabastan. He sighed, this wasn't about him. "Maybe we could talk to Snape about it," he told her quietly. The professor was probably a better person to answer her questions than he was. But he wasn't sure she'd want to go see anybody right now.

Wenny nodded, "ok. We can go talk to Snape in a little bit. But for right now..." She put her head on Carl's shoulder, still holding onto him. "Why is everything so crazy? Your father situation, now _my_ father, our lives being threatened...," she started, "can't we just run away?"

"You know what would happen if we tried to run away," he said quietly. Although, it's not like he hadn't thought about that. "We'd just be tracked down by either the Death Eaters and be killed or Snape and be dragged back here," he told her as he gently stroked her hair. He really wished more than ever that he could tell her that everything was going to be ok and they'd work through this.

Wenny winced when she heard him mention Death Eaters killing them. Not only because she really didn't want to think of being killed, but rather..."I can't even go to my father for protection." She had made comments before about her father not caring about her, but she hadn't truly understood the extent of the situation at the time.

Carl stopped himself from saying _now you know how I feel._ He just stroked her hair. "I know," he said quietly. He wanted to tell her that that's what he wanted to do. He wanted to protect her, and he would die doing it. But he decided that this was about her and her father right now. "But you know, he's still your father. It may not mean that he doesn't still love you," he said quietly.

"He's a Slytherin, what does he know about love?," she muttered, not thinking of the fact that Carl was a Slytherin as well. But her father had never been kind to her. Well, when she was little, he was...but that all changed when she started Hogwarts. Now, all he seemed to care about was the fact that she wasn't a Slytherin.

Carl pushed away, hurt, and stood up, looking down at her. He knew what she meant, but it still hurt to hear her say it like that. And he knew that he should have ignored it because of what she was going through, but part of him just couldn't. "Slytherins know more about love than you'd think, Wenny," he said quietly. It reminded him of what Snape had said about his mother.

Wenny stood up, "I'm sorry, Carl, that's not what I meant." Great, now she had hurt Carl. This day was getting worse by the hour.

He took a deep breath. "I know," he said quietly. He walked back towards her and put his arms around her. He couldn't let what she had said bother him right now, but it really had. He stroked her hair again to get his mind off of it.

Even though he seemed to be ok with what she had said, she still felt the need to explain. "I just mean...that he's always been so focused on our family being Slytherin and I told you before how he practically disowned me when I got sorted into Hufflepuff. Slytherin means everything to him...even more than I do."

"I know what you meant. I shouldn't have freaked out so much. And you don't know that," he said as he looked at her. It seemed like parents were causing so much trouble right now. And he really did wish they could just run away from it all.

"Unfortunately, I do," she said quietly. She closed her eyes, and put her head back on his shoulder. After a few moments, she lifted her head just enough to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for telling me, I know it wasn't easy for you."

Carl smiled softly at her and held her close for another moment before looking at her. "And I know this isn't easy for you. But I'm sorry I lied to you. And I'm here for you," he told her.

"Oh, yeah, about that...," she said, having forgotten that he lied to her. She looked at him, "promise me that you'll never lie to me again? Even if it means telling me something that I don't want to hear."

He looked down at her for a moment and then slowly nodded his head. "I promise," he said quietly. "It's really not that I didn't think you were tough enough to handle it. I just know that isn't not an easy thing to deal with," he told her.

"And you should know," she said quietly. It seemed they both had horrible parents, which only made her care for him even more because he knew what she was going through. And she was grateful that he was there for her.

Carl smiled and held her for a few moments. "Tomorrow's the last day of classes before the weekend," he said, trying to cheer them both up. They wouldn't have to be away from each other in classes for a couple of days, which was good news to him. Although, he wasn't quite sure the subject change would be appreciated.

Wenny laughed a little, "Finally." The one thing that kept her sane was being around him. Classes were torture, as were evenings without him. "Any ideas of what we could do this weekend?," she asked with a slight grin. Though, she wasn't sure they'd be able to get away to themselves now that Snape was on to them.

He smirked and held her with his arms around her waist. "Oh, I have a few ideas," he said, grinning at her. He sighed, not able to totally get into the subject change. "Do you want to talk to Snape?" he asked her seriously.

Wenny grinned at his comment. She was about to say 'do tell,' but then heard his question and sighed. "Yeah, I suppose we should," she said quietly. She really didn't think she wanted to, but...perhaps he could explain the situation a bit more.

"We don't have to," he said quickly, "it can wait." He grinned. "We could stay here for a little while," he suggested.

"No, you're right...we should go talk to him," she replied with another sigh, "...and we'll do just that...in a few minutes." She grinned slightly and then kissed him.

Carl raised an eyebrow as he smiled and kissed her back. He continued the kiss for a few moments. Now he _really_ didn't want to go talk to Snape, he thought as he deepened the kiss.

Wenny knew that Carl was right, that they should go talk to Professor Snape about the situation and let him know that Carl had told Wenny about her father, but at the moment, she just needed to be with Carl. She casually draped her arms around his neck as she continued their kiss.

He brought one hand up and placed it on her cheek, continuing the kiss. After a few moments, he grinned and began softly kissing her on her neck.

That was exactly what Wenny needed at the moment, as she felt all of her thoughts and worries fading away and it felt as if nothing existed besides Carl and herself. She closed her eyes as she slightly tilted her head back.

Carl grinned as he could see that his kisses were taking effect. "You're so incredibly cute," he said as he smiled and continued kissing her neck.

At his comment, Wenny gently bit her bottom lip and smiled shyly. She didn't want to speak at the moment, she just wanted to remain lost in his kiss. After a few more minutes, she pulled away just enough that she could reclaim his lips with hers.

He smiled as he continued the kiss, bringing his other hand up to place it on her other cheek and deepened the kiss again.

She ran one of her hands through his hair, letting her hand rest on the back of his neck. She knew where this was headed and for one split moment, she wondered what might happen if Professor Snape happened to find them again, but she promptly shoved that thought out of her mind.

Carl started to walk towards the bed, continuing to kiss her. He laid her down on the bed and then laid down next to her, pausing for a moment to smiled at her as he reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Wenny just watched him for a moment, then reached over and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and grinned before leaning over and gently kissing along his jaw, ending on his lips once more.

Carl closed his eyes and smiled, making a quiet noise before returning the kiss, the passion increasing with every passing moment.

A little while later, Carl found himself staring at her, thinking about how beautiful she was. "You're hopeless," he said barely above a whisper as he played with her hair a little bit.

Wenny laughed and shook her head, "no more than you are." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "I don't think I've told you lately how much I love you."

He smiled at her and kissed her on her cheek, copying her. "I love you more," he said with a grin as he put his hand gently on her cheek.

Wenny giggled a bit, "are we gonna start that again?" She grinned and kissed him on the lips, then laid her head on his bare chest.

Carl began stroking her hair gently as he smiled down at her. "We could," he said with a smirk as he kissed the top of her head softly.

She laughed, "and to think you called _me_ hopeless!" She rolled over so that she was lying on her stomach, and propped herself up on her elbows, and just looked at him with a slight smile. "Are we just gonna stay in here until dinner?"

He laughed as he watched her and then stared deep into her eyes. "Can we?" he asked her with a pouty face, as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and shook his own hair out of his eyes.

She rolled her eyes playfully, "now how am I supposed to say 'no' to that?" She laughed as she reached over and ruffled his hair. "There. It looks much better now," she said with a smirk.

Carl laughed. "I don't think anything is going to help this mess of fluff," he said with a grin as he ruffled his own hair.

Wenny watched him ruffling his hair and grinned, then reached over and tucked it behind his ears, "actually, it looks best like that." After a moment, she looked at him, "so have we decided to stay here?"

He sighed as he kept looking at her and smiling. "I'll let you decide," he said as he gently kissed her forehead.

"You sure you wanna do that?," she asked, raising an eyebrow. Though, she had already made up her mind.

"Of course," he said with a grin as he took her hand and held it, playing with her fingers a little.

She looked at their hands and then looked at him. "And what if I decided that it would be best for us to leave? Wouldn't you be disappointed?," she asked, trying not to grin.

Carl frowned. "But of course I would," he told her. "But I trust your judgement," he said, bowing his head with a grin, causing his hair go back infront of his face.

Wenny laughed at his hair and reached up to tuck it behind his ears again. "Well, I'd hate to disappoint you," she said with a slight grin, then leaned over and kissed him.

He raised his eyebrow and returned the kiss as he put his hand on her cheek. "No, you wouldn't want to do that," he said with a smile as he continued the kiss.

She continued the kiss for a moment, then looked at him. "So would you mind terribly if we...," she paused and kissed him for another moment, "...stayed?"

He smiled and kissed her. "Not at all," he said. He didn't want anything but to stay there with Wenny, he just hoped than nobody talked too much about them not being at dinner.

Wenny grinned at him, "good." She kissed him once more and then laid her head back down on his chest. "Wake me up when it's time to leave," she said, closing her eyes and grinning.

Carl put his arms around her and rested his head against hers. "So you just wanted to stay here to sleep, huh? I see how it is," he said with a smirk as he kissed the top of her head.

She nodded, and in a serious voice said "Uh huh. And please stop kissing me. It's quite distracting." She had to fight not to laugh.

"Oh, right. Sorry," he said as he laid his head back on the pillow and made himself comfortable. "I think I'll take a little nap too," he said with a yawn as he closed his eyes, repressing a smirk.

Wenny laughed as she snuggled against him, getting comfortable herself. After a few moments, she turned her head just slightly and kissed the place where her head was currently laying, then opened one eye to glance up for his reaction.

Carl kept his eyes closed, but let a little smile spread across his face. He cleared his throat and wiped the smile off of his face. "Would you mind? The kisses are a little distracting," he said, forcing the smile to stay away.

Wenny laughed. "As you wish," she said, rolling over so that she was facing away from him.

"Thank you," he said as he settled himself back in the pillows. He wasn't about to give in yet again, he thought with a grin.

She didn't turn back to him, but simply said "how rude" and laughed. But he was going to have to do more than that to make her give in.

"Yup," he said and turned around, facing the opposite side and yawned really loud.

Wenny heard him yawn and reached behind her and hit him playfully. "Oh, come on. You know you want to give in," she said, wondering how long they could possibly keep this going.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said without looking at her. "And you're still being quite distracting. I'll never get any sleep if you keep doing that," he said, smirking to himself.

"Well, fine then...I'll just go to dinner and leave you here to sleep. _Alone,_" she said, sitting up.

"It's about time," he said, still smiling as he kept his face hidden from her. He knew that she'd give in, he just wished she would hurry up doing it, he thought with a grin.

Wenny gave Carl a dirty look, which he didn't see, since he was facing away from her, then stood up and walked over and grabbed her stuff. But then set it back down, walked back to the bed, grabbed her pillow, and hit him on the head with it.

Carl couldn't help but laugh as he sat up. "I see how it is," he said playfully. He grabbed the pillow he had been laying on and then hit Wenny with it.

"Hey! Don't you know better than to hit a girl?," she said, laughing, as she slapped him with her pillow again.

"Of course, but it's different when you're defending yourself," he said as he smiled and threw the pillow at her this time. He took her arm and pulled her back on the bed.

"Oh really?," she asked with a laugh, as she fell back on the bed. She looked at him for a moment and smirked, "I thought you wanted to sleeeeep."

"Well, how can I possibly sleep now after getting hit with a pillow?" he said as he laughed. He smiled at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Wenny giggled. "Well, first...you lay down...," she said, pushing him back a bit. "Then, you close your eyes...," she said, reaching over and gently closing his eyes with her finger. "And then...," she said, grinning as she looked at him for a moment before tucking his hair behind his ears and kissing him.

Carl smiled as she pushed him back and closed his eyes. He kissed her back and then deepened it after a moment, putting his hand on the back of her head. Then he rested his lips against hers. "Wait a minute, weren't you leaving?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Since you'd obviously prefer to sleep...," began, as she kissed him once more and then went to stand up.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back on the bed. "You're not going anywhere," he said with a smile as he kissed her again.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from your rest. I mean, everyone needs their beauty sleep," she said, trying not to laugh as she returned the kiss.

Carl raised his eyebrow. "Really?" he said as he watched her for a moment. "Alright, that's it," he said as he started tickling her sides.

"Carl!," she exclaimed as she started wiggling around from his tickling. "Stop! You don't play fair!," she said with a laugh. Of course, she was the one who had just hit him over the head with a pillow, but that didn't matter at the moment. She started trying to grab his hands. "Carl," she said one last time, laughing and nearly out of breath.

"Yes, Wenny?" he said, laughing as he kept tickling her. After a moment, he stopped. "You look so cute when you're being tickled," he said with a smirk.

She playfully rolled her eyes, "well, that may be, but I hope you don't use that as an excuse to tickle me more often." Of course, she was just teasing him. She loved playing around like that with him.

"Well, I can't make any promises," he said with a frown. He laughed a little and then kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

Wenny laughed a little. "You look so cute when you're pouting," she said, copying what he said about her. Then she closed her eyes, loving the feeling of being in his arms.

Carl let out a little laugh and then kissed the top of her head. "And you, miss, are cute all the time," he said with a smile as he held her close to him.

"And you, sir, are biased," she said with a grin. She sighed, not wanting to ever move from that spot. "I love your arms," she said casually, trying not to grin. It sounded so funny outloud, but it was true.

"And I love you in them," he said quietly, stroking her hair. He suddenly pictured Snape coming in and catching them again and he shuddered at the thought.

"Good, 'cause I love being in them," she said with a slight laugh, then leaned up and kissed the end of his nose before settling back down and closing her eyes.

Carl smiled at her and rested his chin on the top of her head as he held her. He copied her and closed his eyes.

Wenny just stayed in his arms for a while, not wanting to ever leave. After a while, she looked up at him and just watched him for a few moments, thinking about how much she loved him. "You know, I'm glad I spoke to you that night," she said with a slight grin.

He smiled down at her as he opened his eyes. "I'm glad you talked to me when I was trying to be alone to think, too," he said with a smirk, remembering the night that they met and Wenny had continued to ask him questions.

Wenny playfully gasped, "well, you know, if it hadn't been for you coming over to my spot while I was trying to be alone to think, I wouldn't have spoken to you. So really, it's all your fault."

Carl raised his eyebrow and grinned. "Well, I'll gladly take the blame," he said and then smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head again.

Wenny laughed, then looked at him seriously. "Things have sure changed since then, haven't they?"

He nodded. "Yeah, they have," he said quietly. He looked out of the window and saw it was dark. Dinner must be almost over, he thought. Or maybe it hadn't even started. He had lost track of the time.

"You know what, though? We're going to be ok," she said. Maybe it was just how safe she felt in his arms, but she just had a feeling that they were going to be fine as long as they had each other. As sappy as that may have seemed.

He looked at her curiously. He wished he could say that he felt the same. "Yea, I think we are," he said as he smiled down at her. Maybe they really were, who knew.

Wenny sat up a little and looked at him. "We _are,_ Carl," she said, sounding sure of herself, "we can do this." After all, they had survived three attacks so far. She took his face in her hands, "look, as long as I know that there is someone out there who loves me, I'll fight this with everything I've got. I refuse to let stupid, evil people ruin either of our lives, ok?" She wasn't sure why she was suddenly in such a serious mood. Maybe the news about her father was finally sinking in. Or maybe it was their entire situation was finally sinking in. Whatever it was that put her in this mood, she felt she had to say these things.

Carl couldn't help but smile at her as he nodded his head. "Ok," he said. He copied her and put his hands on her cheeks and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. He was never going to let anything happen to her. He would draw his last breath protecting her. He wanted her to know that, but death wasn't exactly the best subject, he thought.

She returned his smile and then his kiss. "And now, as much as I hate to do this, I think we better go before we're missed. If we aren't already," she said with a slight grin. She really wanted to stay there with him, but she didn't want Professor Snape noticing them missing and coming up there and fussing at them again. She was actually rather surprised that he hadn't already come up there, now that she thought about it. "Professor Snape hasn't busted us yet and we've been here for hours. Don't you find that odd?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, I'm sure he knows that I told you. And maybe he won't be as furious if it's during the day when there's professors and students around the school. At night, there's not as many people around," he said, taking a guess. There were a few reasons he could think of, but actually, he wasn't sure he really cared. Unless Snape happened to barge in on them again, then he might.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess you're right," she said. Then she grinned, "and there's our alibi." Well, for Professor Snape at least. She wasn't sure what she'd be able to tell her friends. She couldn't exactly tell them that her father was a Death Eater and that she just found out.

He smiled. "Yup," he said as he kissed her one last time on the top of the head before sitting up a little bit. "I guess we really better be going," he said sadly. He didn't want Wenny's dorm mates to be talking about her any more than they probably already were.

"Unfortunately," she said with a sigh. She looked over at him for a moment. "Just one more," she said, grinning, as she leaned over and gave him a really passionate kiss. "There, now we can leave," she said, standing up and walking over to pick up her stuff.

Carl watched her, grinning. Then he stood up and walked over to her. "How come you get to have the last one?" he said as he smiled and kissed her again.

Wenny kissed him once more, "because I'm special." She playfully stuck her tongue out at him, then ran a hand through her hair, trying to make it look at least somewhat normal. "We better go now or we'll never get out of here," she said with a grin.

He sighed and frowned. After a moment, he went to get his things. "Must we?" he whined as he walked back over to her. He ran his hand through his hair as he smiled at her.

"Don't do that or we really won't get out of here," she said, laughing. She couldn't resist his whining. He was just too cute.

He laughed and walked up to her and put his hand on her cheek and kissed her deeply again. "What's so bad about that?" he said with a grin.

"You are hopeless," she said, rolling her eyes playfully and laughing. She was finally able to use his word against him.

Carl looked back at her, frowning slightly, "Me? Hopeless?" He laughed. "Yeah, I guess I kind of am, huh?" he said with a grin.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," she said, playfully hitting his arm and laughing. "And yes, you are," she added as she kissed him once more. At this rate, they really weren't going to be leaving anytime soon, which would've been fine with her if they weren't at school and risking expulsion if they got caught again.

He grinned, and then put his hand on the back of her head to continue the kiss for another few moments.

"Stop kissing me, I'm supposed to get the last one, remember?," she asked, laughing. She tucked a bit of his hair behind his ear and smiled, then kissed him once more before turning and walking to the door, glancing back at him with a grin.

Carl glared at her playfully before walking towards the door and opening it. He looked left and right in the hallway and saw that no one was coming. Before walking out of the door, he turned to Wenny and kissed her for a moment and then ran out of the door, grinning.

Wenny returned his playful glare, "you're a butthead. You know that, right?" She laughed quietly as she stepped out into the corridor, leaving the room behind. She put her arm through his as they walked along. "I hope you know that I will get you back for that," she said, smirking.

He laughed. "I look forward to it," he said as he grinned down at her and kissed her cheek as they walked down the corridor. 


	30. Late Night Snack

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty: Late Night Snack**

"No more kisses for you," Wenny said sternly, trying to hide a grin. He might be looking forward to her revenge at the moment, but she was planning to do everything in her power to drive him insane the next morning. She looked over at him and gave him an innocent smile.

"We'll see about that," Carl said as he glared at her. "You won't be able to go long without kissing me," he added with a confident smirk.

"Ha. It's more like _you_ won't be able to go long without kissing _me,_" she said, returning his smirk.

"Hmm. Well, we'll just have to see who lasts longer," he said with a grin. He knew he wouldn't be able to last though.

"Deal," she said, grinning. This was going to be very interesting. Why had she gotten herself into this? How was she supposed to not kiss him? Especially when all she wanted to do was kiss him all day long. "We should place a wager on it," she suggested, teasing.

"You're crazy," he said with a smirk as he pulled her around to face him and kissed her deeply again for a few moments. "If you really thought I would be able to do that, you're crazy," he said grinning and then started walking again.

Wenny smirked, "I guess that means I win then." She was glad he gave in, though...since she wouldn't have been able to last very long. Though, she was sure she would've lasted a bit longer than he just had. A thought that made her grin.

Carl sighed. "I guess so," he said sadly. "I think I need another chance. We could always try it again," he said as he smirked.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Ok then, no more kisses...until one of us gives in," she said, "...what should the winner...that'd be me, of course...get for winning?"

He laughed. "We'll see about that," he told her. He wasn't going to give in as easily this time. He thought for a moment. "Hmm I don't know," he said, not able to really think of anything.

"How about a kiss?," she teased. She honestly couldn't think of a better 'prize,' though. Not that she even needed one.

"Sounds good to me," he said grinning. "After all, I'll probably be needing a kiss after I win," he told her as he smiled down at her.

"Oh, please. You are so not going to win this. You're hopeless, remember?," she said, laughing.

Carl laughed and then suddenly turned her around towards him again. He leaned in so close to her that their lips were less than an inch a part. After a few moments, he pulled back, looking at her with a smirk on his face, before turning around and starting to walk again.

Ohh, this guy was pure evil. How could he do that to her? She was definitely going to have to come up with revenge for that one. "That was not very nice," was all she could think of to say, which made her laugh.

Carl laughed as he kept walking. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself," he said with a smirk. It was his turn to drive her crazy, he thought as he grinned and kept walking down the corridor.

"Hmph. I bet," Wenny said, cutting her eyes at him. How was she supposed to win this bet after what he had just done? It made her want to kiss him more than ever. Which she knew was probably exactly why he had done it. She refused to do so, though. She would _not_ lose this bet.

Carl was already hoping that Wenny wouldn't take long to give in. He didn't know how long he could go after what he just did. But he did know that he wasn't going to give up. He'd just have to resist as long as he possibly could. He grinned to himself though at the effect that it had had on her.

She noticed his grin, "what are _you_ grinning at?" She was a wee bit frustrated at the moment and she hoped he knew it. That move had been really low of him. It was incredibly sexy, but low.

He couldn't help but laugh as he turned around to look at her. He took her shoulders and shook them a little bit. "Loosen up," he said, still smiling at her. "Then again, all of your frustration just might make you want to kiss me," he said with a smirk. He was having fun now.

Wenny rolled her eyes, "Leave. Me. Alone." She wanted to grin at how cute he was when he was being smug, but she refused to let him know she was thinking anything positive about him at the moment.

Carl sighed and let go of her shoulders. "Alright," he said and then started to walk away again, putting his hands in his pockets and shaking his head to get the hair out of his face. If she wanted to play it like that, he'd play right along, he thought as he walked on, smiling.

She watched him for a moment, now feeling a bit bad. She caught up to him, "Well, I didn't mean it like that." She continued watching him as they walked, not sure what he was thinking.

"Uh huh," he said, not looking at her as he stopped smiling. It took alot out of him to hold back his smile as he kept walking and avoided her gaze.

"You are frustrating, you know that?," she asked, still watching him, trying to figure out whether or not he was playing around.

"Yup," he said, still trying to hold back his smile. Now he knew why she had so much fun doing this to him, he thought.

Wenny couldn't take it anymore. She turned to him, put her hand on the back of his neck, and gave him a rather passionate kiss. Right there in the middle of the corridor. After a few moments, she pulled back. "Argh. You annoy me," she said before turning and stalking off.

Carl grinned and then laughed as he caught up to her and bent down and picked her up. "I know. It's a gift," he said with a smirk as he continued walking with her in his arms.

"You know,...that really wasn't very cool. I mean, it _was_...but it wasn't," she said, referring to his earlier move, which she still wasn't quite over.

"That was to get you back for driving me insane that one day," he told her as he grinned down at her. He had driven him crazy all day and then when they finally got into the Room, he had to ruin it. But he still had to get her back for it.

"I drove you insane? Awww, I assure you that was completely unintentional," Wenny said with a smirk. _Right._

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said with a laugh, setting her down on her feet. "Now, I think I want my prize. I wasn't completely ready for that last one," he said, smiling as he put his hand on her neck and kissed her deeply.

She continued the kiss for a few moments, then grinned, "you're hopeless." That was rapidly becoming her favorite thing to say to him. Other than 'I love you,' of course.

"I get it from you," Carl said with a grin against her lips. After a moment, he took her hand and began walking down the corridor again.

Wenny laughed, "you most certainly do not."

After a few minutes of walking in silence, she looked over at Carl, "I don't want to leave you tonight." They were having to go back to staying in their dorms at night and she wasn't looking forward to it at all. Even after spending practically all day locked in one room with him.

Carl looked at her with a sad smile. "I don't want to leave you tonight either," he said quietly. "But you know what Snape would do if he caught us out of our dorms at night again," he told her. Actually, he didn't really know what he'd do to tell the truth, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty.

"I can only imagine," she said, rolling her eyes. She let go of his hand and put her arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"Oh come on, tell me you guys aren't coming back from the Room _again?,"_ one of her friends said, emerging from one of the empty rooms along the corridor. "You guys are hopeless."

At this, Wenny couldn't help but laugh, causing the girl to give Carl a curious look.

Carl glanced at Wenny before starting to laugh. Then he looked at the girl and shrugged. He had to admit that that was pretty funny. After a moment, he finally stopped laughing enough to look at the girl seriously, remembering the reason that they had first gone into the Room.

"I hope you guys realize you missed dinner," the girl said. "I think Professor Snape noticed, too. He kept giving us all weird looks."

"Yes, we realize we missed dinner," Wenny replied, "'cause I'm starving." She was trying not to acknowledge the girl's comment about Snape.

Carl became a little nervous when he heard the girl mention Snape. What would he do after him catching them sneaking off in the middle of the night last night? Maybe it wouldn't be as bad since it was still during the day, he thought. He leaned over and whispered in Wenny's ear, "we could always sneak down into the kitchens."

Carl whispering in her ear made Wenny want to kiss him, but since they weren't alone, she resisted the urge. She looked over at him and gave him a slight grin, then turned to the girl. "Well, we better go make an appearance before anyone says anything."

"Ookayy, well...see ya later," the girl said, watching them.

Carl started walking away with his arm around Wenny. Once they were out of ear shot enough for Carl to speak quietly to Wenny, he turned to her and smiled. "So, are we eating?" he asked her with a grin. He really didn't want to think about Snape right now.

Before answering Carl's question, Wenny kissed him. "Please don't whisper in my ear when we're not alone," she said with a slight grin. "Yes, I am starved," she finally answered, then looked at him curiously, "you know how to get into the kitchens?"

He grinned as she kissed him. "Terribly sorry," he said with a smirk. He looked around the hall for a moment. "Friends with Fred and George, remember?" he said, still smirking. "Of course I know how to get into the kitchens."

"Sure you are," she said, rolling her eyes playfully. When she heard him mention Fred and George, she laughed. "Ohh, yeah. Ya know, I really like those guys." They were the reason Carl knew how to get into the Room of Requirement and now the kitchens. She definitely owed them one. "Lead the way," she said.

Carl took her arm and led her to the Entrance Hall and opened a door to the right of the main staircase. They walked down the corridor a little ways until they came to a painting of a bowl of fruit. He looked at Wenny and grinned. "Go on, tickle the pear," he told her, motioning towards the painting.

Wenny looked at him oddly, "um...ok...?" She shrugged slightly, but did as he said and was surprised by a door handle suddenly appearing on the painting. "These doors appear in the strangest ways," she said.

He laughed a little as he opened the door for Wenny and held out his arm. "Ladies first," he said, bowing his head and then having to shake his hair out of his face.

"You're so cute," she said before reaching over and tucking his hair behind his ears and laughing. Then, she stepped into the kitchens and started looking around curiously. "We won't get in trouble for being in here, will we?"

"Not as long as we're not caught," he said with a grin, closing the door behind him. The moment he did so, a few house elves came towards them asking them how they could help. Carl told them to get them some food and then he took Wenny's hand and led her over to a table, one that was directly under one of the tables in the Great Hall.

Wenny watched the house elves bustle off to get them food and such and turned to Carl. "You know, I never realized how fascinating this castle was until I met you," she said with a shy smile.

Carl smiled at her as he put his hand gently on her cheek and kissed her. "And I never realized how fascinating life was until I met you," he told her. It was actually true. His whole life had been about becoming a Death Eater and that was the only reason to live, and now he only wanted to live to be with her.

How was she supposed to reply to that? She felt the same way. Before she met him, she was a shy girl who drew when she didn't have anything else to do, and who felt as if no one knew who she really was. Or cared to. Until him. But...she couldn't really say that without seeming like she was simply copying him. So she just gave him another shy smile and then kissed him.

He returned the kiss. "I love you so much, Wenny," he said softly against her lips, before pulling back and clearing his throat as he noticed a house elf watching them. He blushed slightly and was glad when the food arrived as the house elves sat it down on the table infront of them.

She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear when she noticed the house elf, and then had to grin when she saw Carl blushing. "You're so cute," she said, reaching over to touch his cheek.

When the food arrived, Wenny thanked the house elves and then looked at him. "They're curious little creatures, aren't they?," she asked, laughing lightly.

Carl laughed a little as he watched the house elves walking away after they gave them the food. He nodded. "Yeah, they sure are," he said as turned to the food. He took a piece of bread and ate it, realizing how hungry he must have been.

Wenny started eating a little, still looking around the kitchens and watching the house elves before turning back to Carl. "If it weren't for classes, we could just consider ourselves on vacation or something...spending our days in the Room, sneaking down to the kitchens to eat...," she mused.

"It really is different than how it used to be, isn't it?" he said, smiling and taking another bite of food. "I wonder how the weekend is going to turn out," he wondered, a slight grin appearing on his lips.

"Well, if it's anything like today, I'd say it's going to be rather interesting," she replied, also with a grin. "You know, I could get rather used to this."

"I think I could, too," he said, taking a sip of butterbeer. "Although I think it would be a little better without getting caught and having to sneak around and having Death Eaters after us," he said, smiling at her. That really would be so much better, but he didn't care. As long as he was with Wenny, he was happy.

"Well, yeah...that part kinda sucks," she said with a laugh. She took another bite of her food and then looked at him seriously. "You know what you said a few minutes ago? Well, it's the same for me." She hoped he would know what she was referring to.

Carl was taking a sip of butterbeer as he heard her and his smile widened as he felt warm inside. He didn't know if it was the butterbeer or Wenny that did that to him, but he was pretty sure it was Wenny. "I really do love you, Wenny," he said as he kissed her cheek.

"And I really do love you, Carl," she said quietly. Sometimes, when he said it first, she wondered if he ever thought she was just saying it because he did. "And I mean that."

"I know you do. And I mean it too," he said as he looked in her eyes and smiled. He finished eating whatever food he wanted and finished off his butterbeer. He gave each of the elves a knut. He would have given them more, but now that Rabastan wasn't giving him money for things, he didn't know where he would get it.

Wenny finished and watched him with the house elves. She thought it was sweet how he was so grateful to them, even when he didn't particularly have to be. Some people just treated house elves like slaves. Or worse. "Well, I guess it's getting late. We should probably be getting to our dorms," she said quietly, wishing they could just go back to the Room.

Carl put his money back in his pocket and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," he said sadly. "Or we could go back to the room," he suggested. Though, he knew it wasn't a good idea. Snape would be even more furious than the night before.

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "would you really be willing to risk it?" 'It' being getting caught by Professor Snape again. She could only imagine what he might say or do if he caught them yet again. Though, they could say Carl was telling her about her father, but she doubted Professor Snape would believe that.

He looked at her for a moment. Was she serious? He slowly nodded his head. "I would. But I don't want you to feel like you have to, Wenny. I wouldn't want to get you into trouble again," he told her. He wondered why Snape didn't get more furious than he had. Maybe it was because Carl was his son, but Carl didn't really believe that. Or maybe it was that they were just in danger, so he went easy on them, or Dumbledore had told him to.

"Well, I want to, of course," she began, "it's just that Professor Snape may very well kill us if catches us again." She looked at him with a slight grin. Then she had a thought. If their lives were in as much danger as she believed they were, then there was no guarantee of how long they would be able to just hang out at Hogwarts. They could very well be on the run again within the next week or perhaps even the next day. And there was nothing Professor Snape could do to her that would be worse than losing Carl. So she wanted to spend every possible moment with him. She nodded, "ok."

Carl smiled at her. "Are you sure?" he asked her seriously. He would love to spend another night with her, and he definitely wasn't going to refuse if she wanted to. But he was rather curious as to what Snape would do. He wondered if Draco had been telling the professor when Carl was out of his dorm and wondered if the boy would do it again tonight. But what could Snape possibly do? Dumbledore wouldn't allow for them to be kicked out of school with Death Eaters after them. And he wouldn't allow for him to ban him from seeing Wenny, although the thought shook him a little. What if that was Snape's next punishment? If it was, Carl wouldn't allow it. He would find a way to see Wenny or he'd stand up to Snape.

Wenny didn't want to tell him why she was willing to risk Snape's wrath, she didn't even want to think about it. So she simply nodded again, "yes, I'm sure." She leaned over and kissed him, "I want to be with you, Carl."

He smiled at her for a moment and then slowly nodded his head. "Alright," he said quietly. He looked around the kitchen for a moment before turning back to her. "It's getting pretty late, so I guess we should be getting back to our dorms," he told her. "And we can meet up like usual," he said as he gently took her hand and stood up.

"Ok," she said, leaving the kitchens with him. Since the Hufflepuff House was rather close to the kitchens, they didn't have very far to walk together. When they reached the door, Wenny glanced around to be sure there wasn't anyone nearby. "Well, I guess I'll see you later tonight, ok?"

Carl nodded and then gave her one quick kiss on the lips before turning towards the dungeons and walking away. He felt that if he drew that out any longer, then they'd be late getting back to their dorms. He made his way to the dungeons and towards his common room and went inside, and then went up to his dorm and laid down on his bed. He was already anxious to see her again.

Wenny watched him walk away before going up to her dorm. She talked to her dorm mates for a bit, grateful that none of them seemed to care that she was missing during dinner. She didn't want to talk to them too long, though, since she was planning to sneak out again and was sure they would be able to tell. She didn't want them to try to stop her.

She laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling, counting down the the moments until she'd see Carl again. And praying that Snape wouldn't catch them this time.

Carl laid there, just looking up at the ceiling and thinking. He couldn't wait to spend another night with Wenny, as long as they didn't get caught again anyway. After a while, Draco and the others came into the dorm, so Carl went back down into the common room and sat in a chair for a little while, waiting until it was time to meet Wenny at the Room. 


	31. Frogs & Hogs

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-One: Frogs & Hogs**

Once she could tell that her dorm mates were all sleeping, Wenny snuck down to the common room and then tiptoed across the room to the door. She glanced around once more before opening the door and walking out into the corridor.

As always, she cautiously crept through the corridors, glancing around and was relieved when she finally reached the Room. Or the corridor that the Room was on. It didn't seem like Carl was there yet, so she walked a little further and sat down just inside the entrance of an empty classroom nearby.

After a little while, Carl got up and left the common room and made his way to the Room. When he got there, he saw Wenny a little bit further down the hall and smiled at her before walking past the wall like usual until the door appeared.

Wenny saw Carl and smiled. She watched him walk infront of the door, then stood up and walked over to him. She didn't want to say anything until they were in the Room, just incase someone happened to be nearby, but she reached over and took his hand.

He smiled at her as he opened the door and allowed her to go in first. He closed the door behind them and then turned Wenny towards him and kissed her deeply. It was becoming a very strong habit.

"Carl, you know how you asked me if things were going too well? Well, I think maybe they are...," she said quietly after the kiss. She wasn't trying to scare him or herself, but she had done some thinking while lying in her bed earlier and his comment had come to her mind. Why _was_ everything so quiet? They had been attacked three times in less than three days...and now, they had gone a week with nothing? Well, not counting Lucius...

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I know," he said quietly as he put his arms around her and held her close. He almost had to laugh at the irony. Last time, he had brought this up and they were in pretty much the same situation in this room. He smiled down at her. "You know I love you. As long as you're with me, I'll have the strength to face a thousand Death Eaters," he told her.

Wenny looked at him for a moment and then gave him a small smile before laying her head on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what had brought on these thoughts, but she was starting to worry again. Perhaps it was because she had spent practically all day worry-free, just being here with Carl. The worrying was bound to return sometime.

Carl bent down and picked her up and started walking towards the bed and laid her down on it. "Maybe what we both need is some sleep," he said quietly and then yawned. He was actually kind of tired. He laid down with her and kept his arms around her.

Wenny nodded and closed her eyes, trying to block out all of the thoughts that were currently invading her mind. Thoughts of what they had been through and what was yet to come. She couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling that something was going to happen soon. But maybe Carl was right, they just needed sleep. She snuggled as close to him as possible and waited for sleep to give her some relief. If only temporary.

He kept his arms around her. He could stay there just like that forever and it wouldn't bother him. He loved having her in his arms. He smiled down at her before closing his own eyes. What had made Wenny bring that up again? It had got him worrying a bit again. He sighed after a little while and tried his best to clear his mind so he could fall asleep. He really thought that's what they both needed, and he hoped they would feel better afterwards.

The following morning, Wenny woke up, still thinking about what she had been thinking about the previous evening. She didn't want to worry Carl, though, so she decided to try to act as though nothing was bothering her. She yawned and opened her eyes and then smiled when she saw him. "Good morning," she said quietly.

He smiled and then slowly opened his eyes. "Good morning to you, too," he said as he looked at her. He yawned, deciding not to ask her how she was feeling, risking bringing up the subject again. But he wasn't exactly not worrying, and he somehow doubted that she wasn't either. He kissed her forehead and grinned at her.

"Guess what? It's finally the weekend again," she said with a slight grin. She wouldn't mind if they just locked themselves in the Room all weekend. She knew that was out of the question, though, as people, Professor Snape in particular, would surely notice them missing.

His smiled widened. "It's about time," he said with a grin. He looked at her for a moment. "So what do you want to do?" he asked her, although he wouldn't mind if she said she wanted to stay in the Room all weekened. But seeing as it was another Hogsmeade weekend, he thought that maybe they could try to get their minds off things again.

She laughed a little at his comment. "Well, I wouldn't mind just staying right here all weekend, but...I'm not sure that'd go over too well with the Professors," she said, smirking. She sighed, "Well, it's a Hogsmeade weekend again...would you want to maybe make a short trip?"

"Aww, can't we just stay here?" Carl whined as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He smiled and then kissed her for a moment. "Oh, alright. I guess we can go to Hogsmeade," he said with a grin as he sat up in the bed.

Wenny laughed and playfully poked his cheek, "have I told you how cute you are when you whine?" She watched him sitting up and smiled, thinking about how much she loved him. Those nagging worrying thoughts were still in her mind as well, but she shrugged them all away. She refused to let her worrying ruin their weekend together.

"Only about a dozen times," he teased, pretending to be annoyed. He laughed and turned to her, smiling. He gave her another soft kiss on the lips before standing up out of the bed and stretching, letting out another yawn.

She couldn't help but laugh again. "Well, I'll try not to say it again," she teased. She continued watching him as he stood up and stretched and then after a few moments, she figured she should go ahead and get up as well. She yawned again as she sat up on the edge of the bed. "So which store should we visit first?" If she occupied her mind with talking about Hogsmeade, maybe she would stop worrying for a while.

Carl thought for a moment as he yawned. "We didn't go into Zonko's last time, did we?" he asked her. He really didn't care which store they went into though. As long as he was out of the castle with Wenny, he was fine. "But where would you like to go?" he asked her as he kept standing and kept his gaze on her for awhile.

"To be honest, I don't really remember," Wenny answered, grinning, "I remember we went to Honeydukes, though...those frogs were yummy. We need to get more." Like most other teenage girls, Wenny _loved_ chocolate. "Zonko's sounds good, we'll go there first." She smiled as she stood up, running her fingers through her hair, trying to make it appear as if she hadn't just gotten out of bed.

Carl nodded and smiled at her as he walked up to her and put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He reached up with one of his hands and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and then put his hand on her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. After a moment, he pulled away and grinned at her. "Lets go get you some chocolate frogs," he told her.

"Thank you," she said with a small laugh. She kissed him once more before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door, "come on." She opened the door slowly and peeked out into the corridor. Not seeing anyone, she walked out of the room, still pulling him along with her.

Carl pretended to resist and pulled back just a little. "Must we?" he teased in a whine. "We could just spend all day together in the Room and we wouldn't even have to leave it and then we could sneak down into the kitchens in the middle of the night and and..." he trailed off as he smiled at her.

Since she had told him she wouldn't tell him how cute he was when he whined, Wenny looked at him and playfully rolled her eyes. "As tempting as that is...and I assure you it _is_," she said with a grin, "...it might do us some good to get some air first." She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "And then we can spend the entire rest of the weekend in there." Before she pulled away, she nibbled his ear just slightly.

He raised his eyebrow as he quit pretending to struggle and then grinned at her. Then his expression changed into a glare. "Oh, you had to say that didn't you?" he said. "Is that some sort of revenge or something?" he asked as he continued to walk with her. This girl drove him crazy, but he couldn't exactly say he hated it.

"Of course I had to say that," she said, laughing. Then she turned back frontwards again, continuing to pull him along. "And no, revenge will come later," she answered, glancing back over her shoulder at him with a smirk.

Carl raised his eyebrow again. "You're infuriating," he said, frowning slightly. She sure was getting him back though, he thought. Of course, he enjoyed it. He just didn't want to let Wenny know that.

Wenny had to fight not to laugh. That was exactly the reaction she had been hoping for. She stopped and turned to him, grinning. "Thank you," she said and kissed him on the cheek. She continued to pull him along with her until they finally reached Hogsmeade.

Carl looked around the small wizarding town, looking at all of the students and the few professors that were already there. He actually was starting to feel pretty good with being outside and out of the grounds with Wenny. With seeing everyone around them having fun, he was actually starting to have a little bit of fun himself.

"Ok, so you wanted to go to Zonko's, so we'll go there first," Wenny said, still holding onto his arm. She spotted the store a little ways down the street and started in that direction. "So, is there anything in particular that you want or need," she asked, occasionally glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She wondered if he'd get her real meaning or not.

He thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No, not real-..." he trailed off as he looked at her, sending her a glare. "You're very cruel to me, you know that?" he said, cocking his head slightly to one side.

Wenny laughed, "well, you're one to talk. That wasn't very nice, you know, saying you don't want or need me." She let go of his arm and walked a little ways ahead of him, glancing back at him and then sticking her nose up in the air as if she were offended.

Carl rolled his eyes as he grinned and watched her for a moment before running after her and putting his arms around her waist, picking her up a little bit off the ground. "Trust me, Wenny. I need you. More than you know," he said softly in her ear from behind her.

As it always seemed to do, him whispering in her ear nearly made her crazy. She found herself wishing they were back in the Room and wondered how long they would be in Hogsmeade. Of course, she wouldn't tell him that, though. Not yet anyway. She turned her head to look at him. "Good," she said with a grin, then kissed him.

He smiled as he returned the kiss for a moment, and then grinned at her. "So, to Zonko's?" he asked her, hoping they could hurry up in Hogsmeade now that he thought about it.

"Yep," she said, nodding. She grabbed his arm again, playfully pulling him along. She seemed to think it was a bit fun. "And then to Honeydukes...and then...where?," she asked, glancing around to the shops and then looking at him.

Carl shrugged as he too looked around at the little shops lining the street. "I don't know," he said slowly. Then he looked back at her. "Feeling parched?" he asked her.

"Hmmm...yeah, a bit. Three Broomsticks?," she replied, as they reached Zonko's. She opened the door and walked in, still holding onto his arm, which made her laugh a little. "I think I'm attached," she said, glancing down to his arm in hers.

He looked down at their arms and laughed before looking back up at her and grinning. "Oh, sorry, I think that's mine," he told her and kissed her on the cheek as they went inside.

Wenny laughed. "Ok, so...anything in particular you'd like to look at?," she asked, glancing around the store. She thought some of the items in this store were so hilarious, even though, she would never even attempt to use most of the items. She was much too 'good' for that. Well, at least she used to be. She pulled Carl over to one of the display shelves.

Carl looked at some of the things in the shop, and for the first time that he could remember, nothing really stuck out at him to laugh at. Maybe it was because they needed new items, or he just had his mind on other things at the moment.

After looking at the items for a little while, she looked over at Carl. Noticing that he didn't appear to be too interested in anything in the shop, she grabbed his arm again. "Come on, let's go get some chocolate frogs," she said with a slight smile. That was her whole purpose for coming to Hogsmeade anyway. Well, other than just being out with him.

They left Zonko's and walked to Honeydukes, Wenny still playfully pulling Carl by his arm and grinning.

He looked at her, grinning, as they made their way to Honeydukes. "What is it with you and my arm?" he teased as they got closer to the sweet shop. He ran his hand through his hair as he smiled down at her.

Wenny laughed and shrugged, "I don't know really. I just love your arms, I guess."

They walked into Honeydukes and Wenny pulled him straight over to the Chocolate Frogs. "If you'd like, you can have all the wizard cards when I'm done," she said, picking up several of the little boxes. She glanced over at him, grinning.

"I'm guessing you don't collect them either?" he asked her as he smiled at her. "Let me get this," he said as he pulled out a few sickles from his pocket and handed them to the lady behind the counter.

Wenny laughed again, "I don't, but you can...consider them an early Christmas present from me." She saw him pay the lady and playfully hit his arm, "you didn't have to pay for these, Carl." She thought it was really sweet of him to do so, though. "But since you did, I guess I'll let you have one," she said with a grin.

Carl smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Buying you chocolate is the least that I'd do for you, Wenny," he told her with a grin as they started to walk out of Honeydukes. He reached over to take Wenny's arm and smirked at her.

"Awwww, you're so sweet," she replied with a grin. Then when he took her arm, she laughed, "Hey, I'm supposed to do that."

They walked over to The Three Broomsticks and went inside. "Looks like everyone got 'parched' at the same time," she said, glancing around. There didn't seem to be one single empty table.

He looked around the bar and frowned a little bit. After a moment, he turned to Wenny. "We could always go to the Hog's Head," he said shrugging. "It may not be as sanitary," he said, grinning. "But it'll probably be a whole lot quieter," he suggested.

Wenny grinned, "hmmm...quiet sounds good." She wasn't exactly sure about the Hog's Head, though. She had heard that it was a rather shady establishment, but they really didn't have a choice, since The Three Broomsticks appeared to be full. Well, they could go back to the Room, but it was still rather early. "Ok, let's go," she said as she quickly reached over and grabbed his arm and smirked.

Carl rolled his eyes and shook his head a little as he grinned and turned around to head back outside. They made their way down the street again towards the back part of town. When they got there, he opened the door and allowed Wenny to go in first. It smelled rather odd inside, but it _was_ quiet.

Wenny looked around, noticing several hooded customers sitting at the bar and a couple at one of the tables. At least there were plenty of empty tables, though, so they walked over to one and sat down. "This place is...interesting," she said quietly.

He couldn't help but smile. "Relax," he told her. "Just don't order anything in a glass," he said with a smirk. He noticed the hooded customers and shifted just a little bit as a chill went up his spine. He shook it away and continued to smile at Wenny. Maybe this place was a little worse than he had remembered.

Wenny laughed quietly, "don't worry, I don't plan on it." The owner came over and asked them for their order and Wenny ordered a bottle of butterbeer, then glanced around the room once more. This place was a bit creepy, but students were still allowed here, so Dumbledore must think it was safe.

She had been about to turn back to Carl when she saw another hooded figure walk into the bar. The person sat at a table across the room and seemed not to give Wenny much notice. She was beginning to feel a bit creeped out, so she turned back to Carl, "maybe we should just go back now."

Carl had also started to feel a little weirded out too at the arrival of a new hooded person. "You worry too much," he said, noticing that his voice had cracked slightly. He sat there for a moment, watching the hooded figure. Finally, he nodded and slowly stood up. "Maybe we should just go back now," he said, repeating what Wenny had said.

When he stood up, one of the hooded persons stood up as well and Carl saw him pull out his wand and turning to point it at him and Wenny. Carl quickly pulled out his wand, but it flew from his hand when he heard, "Expelliarmus!"

"I can't help it," she said with a slight grin. She saw him stand up and nodded, "ok." She stood up and turned towards the door, but immediately turned back to Carl when she heard the spell, just in time to see Carl's wand fly out of his hand. She quickly looked across and saw the person facing them with his wand pointed at them, then looked at Carl. This could not be good.

She was tempted to grab her own wand, but she knew this guy would disarm her as he had done Carl. Perhaps she could apparate them out of there. She looked over at Carl, and reached for his hand. She couldn't apparate back to Hogwarts, and apparating them outside probably wouldn't do much good. For all they knew, there were more guys waiting outside the bar. But maybe she could get them to Diagon. Anywhere would be better than here at the moment.

Carl held onto Wenny's hand tightly and took a step to stand infront of her. "You guys are awfully close to the school grounds. You don't think you're going to get away with anything here, do you?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly again.

The Death Eater just laughed, sending a chill down Carl's spine. Carl would have usually already attacked this man, wand or not. But things had changed. "We're not going to do anything here," he said in a cold voice. "Stupefy!" he yelled, sending Carl into a sudden blackout. Then he pointed his wand at Wenny.

Wenny quickly grabbed Carl and closed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could on Diagon Alley. If nothing else, they could go to the Weasley shop and then back to Grimmauld Place. Though, she didn't seem to be able to concentrate, perhaps since she was terrified at the fact that Carl was currently unconscious.

She continued trying to concentrate on Diagon Alley, hearing the guy's laughter the entire time. He was obviously watching her trying to apparate and finding it entertaining that she was unable to do so. A moment later, Wenny heard the cold voice speak once more, _"stupefy."_


	32. Father Of Mine

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Father Of Mine**

Carl began opening his eyes slowly and realized that he had a splitting headache. He could barely focus when his eyes were finally opened all the way. From what he could make out, he was in a very dark, damp room. He sat up from the cold, hard floor that he had been laying on and looked around, rubbing his head. Then he quickly turned around to look for Wenny. "Wenny!" he said when he saw her laying on the ground a few feet from him. He crawled over to her and gently shook her shoulder. "Wenny!" he said again.

Wenny was still unconscious, though barely so. She heard someone call her name, but it sounded as if the person was standing a hundred miles away.

She felt him shake her and he sounded closer when he said her name this time. She started to open her eyes, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, which made her catch her breath. After a moment, she tried again to slowly open her eyes. It was so dark that she couldn't really make anything out, except for Carl who was leaning over her.

She slowly sat up and looked around. "Where are we?," she asked, barely above a whisper.

He looked around the dark room for a moment before shaking his head, only making it hurt worse. "I don't know," he said quietly as he rubbed his head again. "Are you alright?" he asked her as he felt his throat drying up quickly.

"Mmmhmm," she replied quietly. Or at least she would be if her headache would go away. "You?," she asked.

She suddenly remembered what had happened in the Hog's Head. "Carl, this is not good...," she said, starting to panic a bit. She assumed they had been brought to some Death Eater meeting place and Merlin only knew what was in store for them. No, this was definitely not good.

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he told her. He started to stand up, feeling slightly dizzy, but he shook it away. He could just barely make out a door at the other end of the room and he walked over to it and tried to open it. "Worth a try," he muttered when he failed to open it. He started pulling at the handle frantically and hitting his shoulder against the door, only making himself more dizzy.

Wenny slowly stood up and walked over to him, "don't, Carl. If they're listening, they'll know we're no longer unconscious." She didn't know what else they could do, though, so perhaps trying to open the door was worth a try. However, she knew whoever had taken them would surely not allow them to escape so easily.

"I'm so sorry, Carl. I couldn't apparate us. I tried, but...," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel responsible. Sure, she hadn't been apparating very long, but that was no excuse. Their lives had depended on it and she choked.

Carl slowly gave up his hopeless acts of trying to get the door open and then turned to Wenny and held her shoulders. "Wenny, listen to me. This is not your fault. In _no way_ is this your fault. Don't you think that for one second. If you want to place blame, we could go on and on until...hell, we could blame this on your dorm mate if we tried until we made that connection. So don't you dare think that this is your fault. Do you understand me?" he said. Maybe he had been a bit forceful, but he wasn't about to allow Wenny to blame this on herself. "Now you can't go thinking this. Especially now, when we both need to be in our right minds."

Wenny looked at Carl for a moment and then nodded slowly. She knew he was just saying that, though, because if she had've been able to apparate them, they wouldn't be here. Not to mention that it was she who convinced him to go to Hogsmeade in the first place. In fact, she practically drug him from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. He was right about one thing, though...if they were going to get out of here, they both had to be in their 'right minds.'

She blinked back her tears, took a deep breath, and then looked around the room. There didn't appear to be any other way out besides the door that was obviously locked. "Ok...so, what should we do?"

He just looked at her for a few moments. He could tell that she hadn't completely listened to what he told her. But he didn't have time to convince her right now. He took a deep breath as he looked around the room, shaking his head again. "I don't know," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Shh," he whispered, putting his finger over his mouth, motioning for Wenny to be quiet for a moment. He heard someone coming to the door.

Wenny heard the sound of someone muttering curses to unlock the door, and a few moments later, she heard the door creak open. She closed her eyes tight, not wanting to see whoever it might be. She knew it wasn't as if the person would somehow disappear if she closed her eyes, but part of her was hoping that she was simply dreaming and that when she opened her eyes, she'd find herself in her dorm.

"Ah, good. You're both awake," the man said. Wenny recognized the voice immediately as the man from the Hog's Head.

Carl instinctively took a step to stand infront of Wenny as he glared towards the Death Eater. "What do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth before he could stop himself. He knew exactly what he and the rest of the Death Eaters wanted. Carl reached behind him to grab Wenny's hand. If this man was going to do anything, he wanted to be holding Wenny in at least some way.

As soon as Wenny felt Carl take her hand, a horrible thought came to mind. What if this was the last time she would ever feel Carl's touch? What if they killed her? Or even worse, what if they killed Carl?

The man simply laughed, "Carl, Carl, Carl...you know what this is about." He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you. Not yet, anyway," the man added. He conjured a few chairs and motioned to them, "please sit."

Carl glanced at the chairs that the man had conjured and then back at the man and scoffed. "You've got to be kidding," he said, glaring at the man and holding tightly onto Wenny's hand.

The Death Eater raised an eyebrow and pointed his wand at them. "I can show you how serious I actually am," he said. "Imperio," he said, pointing his wand at Carl and then Wenny.

Carl felt his mind go numb as he uncontrollably started to walk towards the chairs. As he slowly sat down, he tried to fight the spell, but was unable to. Once he sat down, he felt the curse lift and he glared up at the man, a bit out of breath from trying to fight the spell.

Having never had the unforgivable actually used on her, Wenny wasn't able to fight it and soon found herself sitting. She was a bit too frightened to say anything, so she just glanced between the two guys.

"Don't fight me, Carl. I can assure you it isn't worth it," the man said simply, taking a seat in the remaining chair. He looked over at Wenny and grinned, "you're a pretty little thing, aren't you?"

At this, Wenny shifted in her seat and looked away from the man.

Carl's jaw began hurting as his teeth clashed together from him clenching them. He was quickly realizing just how much trouble they were actually in. He quickly stood up. "Don't you talk to her!" he yelled at the man.

He just simply raised his wand again and Carl was forced back into the chair. "I think you're both going to learn a few lessons here," he said nastily. "Like when to keep your mouth shut."

Wenny looked over at Carl and shook her head slightly. She really didn't want to see this guy attack Carl and at the moment, the man really wasn't doing anything by talking. Of course, she was sure that would change soon. Why else would these people have brought them here?

"Carl, your father - excuse me, Rabastan - has had you both brought here, as I'm sure you guessed. He says there are a few things that you need to, uh, _discuss,_" the man said.

Every few moments, he would leer at Wenny, which was making her rather uncomfortable, though she tried not to show it.

Carl noticed the man looking at Wenny and was pretty sure he knew why. He thought of a few things he could say, but decided for Wenny's sake, not to bring it up, so instead, he just replied to what the man had told him. "Well, you can tell _Rabastan_ that I'm not much in a _discussing_ mood," he said, still glaring at him.

"Oh, I'll be sure to pass on the message," he said, returning Carl's glare. "But I'm not sure it'll do much good," he said as he looked at Carl and then glanced over at Wenny for a moment.

Wenny wanted to curse the man, but she knew that'd do more harm than good, so she merely glared at him. She wished she knew what she could do to get them out of this situation, but as the man had already shown, he had much more power over them than Wenny could possibly fight. And that frightened her for several reasons.

Noticing Wenny's glare, the man laughed. "Don't worry, I have strict orders not to hurt either of you _yet_," he said with a smirk.

_"Yet!?"_ Carl yelled, getting angry. "If you hurt her, I'll..." he began, but the man interupted him.

"You'll what, Carl?" he asked, still smirking. "You don't have a wand and you're up against a Death Eater. What can you possibly do?" he asked threateningly, looking between Wenny and Carl.

Wenny looked away for a moment, racking her brain for anything she could say or do. After a moment, she remembered what Carl had told her about her father. She wasn't sure it would help at all, but she figured it was worth a try. "Do you happen to know Dray Gytha?," she asked quietly, watching the man for any type of reaction.

Carl looked over at Wenny for a few moments, a little bit shocked, before turning back to the man. He looked at him curiously, but still keeping his glare.

The man watched Wenny for a moment before leaning back in the chair and taking a deep breath and then nodding his head. "I know him," he told her.

Wenny looked over at Carl. She had seen his shocked expression and wondered if he thought she was wrong in mentioning her father. It was a little too late to take it back now, though, so she turned back to the man.

"Does he know that you're currently holding his only child hostage and threatening her?," she asked, gaining a little confidence.

The man gave a small laugh, "Dray Gytha has no children."

Wenny was a bit surprised by the man's reply. Had her father kept her a secret from his fellow Death Eaters just as he had kept them from her?

Carl just sat there as he looked at the man infront of them, a little confused to say the least. Then he glanced at Wenny and then looked down at the ground. He didn't know what to say, so he just kept his mouth shut.

Wenny wasn't sure whether or not she should argue with the man. He would obviously think she was lying, and that may make him upset and Merlin only knew what he might do then. But, looking around, there really didn't seem to be any alternatives. They had to get out of here somehow.

"Well, you obviously don't know him very well then, do you?" Wenny said, trying not to glare at him.

Carl looked back up at Wenny, a bit surprised. Then he looked back at the Death Eater who was glaring at Wenny.

"I think it might be you who doesn't know quite what they're talking about," the man said.

"Why don't you go find him and we'll see what _he_ says," she replied. She refused to let this guy call her a liar. She knew who her father was. Granted, she hadn't known her father was a Death Eater, but she knew he was her father.

She couldn't help but wonder what might happen if this guy actually did bring her father in here. Would he lie and say she wasn't his daughter? Or would he save them somehow? Did he possibly already know they were here?

"I really don't think you want that," he said, glaring at Wenny still. He stood up. "But if you're sure..." he said as he turned and walked towards the door.

Carl just watched the man as he walked to the door for a moment and then looked at Wenny, completely at a loss for words. He wasn't sure bringing more Death Eaters to the room was smart, but it wasn't as though they were in any position to escape at the moment, so he supposed her idea was worth a try. He just hoped it worked in their favor.

Wenny noticed Carl looking at her, so she looked over at him and shrugged slightly. She hadn't been sure what else to do, and it was worth a try, wasn't it? Now, they could only wait for the guy to return with her father and hope that it hadn't been a mistake to ask for him. She waited until the door had closed behind the man before turning to Carl, "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do."

He looked at her and smiled slightly at her. "It's fine," he said quietly. "Actually, seeing you almost lose your temper was kind of nice," he said with a grin. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Maybe you father will help us," he said hopefully. Although, if he knew that Wenny was here before, he kind of doubted that. He opened his eyes and smiled at her as he put his hand on her cheek and kissed her.

In spite of how scared she was about the situation they were currently in, Wenny couldn't help but grin at his comment about her temper.

She watched him for a moment and then nodded slowly, "he has to, right? I mean...well, he just has to." She refused to think otherwise, and hoped he wouldn't show up and prove her wrong.

When Carl kissed her, she had to force herself not to start wondering if that would be their last kiss, because that definitely wasn't something she wanted to think about. "I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you, too," he said softly, putting his arm around her. He continued the kiss for a moment and then looked at her. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of this, and he wanted to tell her and himself that everything was going to be ok and that they'd get themselves out of it. But he didn't say that. He felt that if he did, then it would just make things worse. He smiled at Wenny and then pulled her into a hug. He was going to do everything to make sure this wasn't the end.

Wenny put her arms around Carl and put her cheek against his. She wished she knew some way of getting them out of this situation and she was hoping and praying that her father would be that 'way.'

A few minutes later, but still too soon for Wenny's liking, she heard someone muttering the curses to unlock the door again. She took a deep breath and turned towards the door.

The man walked in, seemingly alone, but then a couple of seconds later, Wenny saw her father walk in behind him. She wanted to run over to her father and ask him to help them, but she figured it was best not to.

"There she is," the man said, pointing to Wenny. "She says she's your daughter," he added with a slight grin. Wenny watched her father closely, looking for any kind of reaction to seeing her here and wondering what he was thinking.

Her father looked at her for a moment, "what is your name?" Wenny wasn't sure to make of this. He very well knew her name. But, she answered him anyway. "Enidwen, 'Wenny' Gytha."

Carl looked at Wenny's father. He had seen him before at his house. He had been with Rabastan once, but he had never been introduced. Carl was afraid to look at Wenny to see exactly what her reaction was, so he kept his gaze to her father instead. He figured this was between him and Wenny at the moment, so he kept quiet.

The man who had been in there earlier closed the door and leaned up against it with a smirk on his face as he watched Wenny and Dray.

"Your name is _not_ Gytha," he said a bit more forceful than he had ever been with Wenny before, which frightened her a bit. Who was this man? He looked and sounded like her father, but why was he acting as if he didn't know her?

Wenny wasn't sure if she should say anything, for fear of what he might do. But then she noticed the other guy's smirk. "My name most certainly _is_ Gytha and you know it," she answered just as strongly.

At this, she could swear she had seen her father wince a bit. "I suggest you stop saying that before I give my associate here free reign," he snarled. He motioned to the guy leaning against the wall, but didn't take his gaze off of Wenny.

Carl stood up in anger and opened his mouth to ask that man how he could possibly threaten his own daughter like that. But then an idea hit him, and it gave him just a little bit of hope. He didn't know if it was just the idea of having hope or that maybe he could actually be right. But what if her father just didn't want the Death Eaters to know and he was really going to help them? Maybe Carl was being too hopeful, but it was just an idea.

So instead of saying anything, he sat down and looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Wenny's father. He looked him in the eyes, trying to figure out his true intentions. But he still wanted to say something to the man, so he had to restrain himself.

The man leaning against the door just smirked even more widely at the thought as he looked between Wenny and Carl. He kept quiet in the hopes of Dray Gytha giving him the permission he wanted.

Wenny was rather shocked, not to mention terrified, by her father's threat. Surely he wouldn't do that. But then again, she didn't exactly think he would 'associate' with these people either, yet here he was.

She saw Carl stand up, and she looked over at him, but then looked back at her father when Carl had sat down. "You wouldn't do that," she said, sounding a bit unsure of herself now.

"Try me," he said simply, his gaze still not leaving her.

After a few moments, he motioned to the other guy to follow him and they both headed for the door. Wenny's father gave her one more glare before walking out of the room.


	33. Makeups & Makeouts

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Makeups & Makeouts**

Carl watched the men leave and then looked down at the ground. After a moment, he looked up at Wenny, not quite sure what to say. He looked at her for a few moments before deciding to speak. "Are you ok, Wenny?" he asked, not sure if that was the right thing to say. If he had been her, he wouldn't be ok. Why had her father said that to his own daughter? Now he was wishing that he had said something to him.

Wenny looked over at Carl, and then slowly nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok. I don't know what's with him, though. Why would he say that?," she asked quietly. She was trying to analyze everything her father had said and done while he had been in the room, searching for any clue that he wasn't the monster he had just appeared to be.

He shook his head slowly. "I don't know," he said quietly. He didn't know what to tell her. He sighed and stood up and started to pace back and forth infront of the door, trying to think of something, anything, that they could do to get themselves out of their current situation.

"He's never talked to me like that before," she said, walking over to Carl. "I mean, he's always been rather stern and cold, but...but _that_...," she added, thinking outloud, trying to make sense of everything. "Maybe there was a reason why he said that?" She was hoping Carl would reassure her and say that yes, her father must have some secret plan or something. Though, she knew he probably wouldn't be able to.

Carl stopped pacing and looked at Wenny. He couldn't decide what do say. He could say that he thought her father was just biding his time with the Death Eaters until he could rescue them. Or he could say that he wasn't so sure and he had looked pretty serious to him. He just looked at Wenny and nodded his head. "Yeah, maybe," he said quietly.

Wenny could tell by his tone that Carl didn't believe her father had said that for any reason other than he was a cruel man. Of course, that didn't make her feel any better. Before she could say anything, though, the door opened once more and her father walked in the room alone.

Dray sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Wenny and Carl to sit down as well, but Wenny just remained in her spot and glared at him.

"Sit down, Enidwen!," he said, returning her glare.

Carl looked from Dray to Wenny. He went over to the chair and slowly sat down, glaring at Dray. "So, what are we going to talk about? Meeting the boyfriend or how exactly you Death Eaters are going to finish us off?" he said lightly, but kept glaring at Dray. He really didn't like the way he talked to his daughter. But he couldn't say he wasn't used to it with his own father, or who he had thought was his father.

Dray simply cut his eyes at Carl for a moment before turning back to glare Wenny, waiting for her to sit.

Wenny had to fight not to grin at Carl's comment, except for the last bit. She really wasn't wanting to think about them being 'finished off.' She walked over and sat down in the remaining chair and simply looked at her father for a few moments. She hoped he knew how much he had hurt her, though she wasn't sure now that he would even care.

Dray leaned forward a bit and lowered his voice. "You guys are in terrible danger, as I'm sure you both know," he said, watching them both closely. He took a deep breath and then turned to Carl, "You know that Rabastan won't be satisfied until..."

Carl let out only a tiny sigh of relief. Did this mean that Wenny's father was going to help them? He wasn't sure, but he found some small amount of hope in the thought. He glanced at Wenny for a moment before turning back to Dray and slowly nodding. "I know," he said quietly. Carl had often thought of how Rabastan would never give up, and he could only think of one thing that would stop him from chasing him for the rest of his life. He leaned back in his seat a little and kept looking at Dray.

Wenny continued watch her father closely, trying to figure out exactly why he was telling them this. "Thanks for the tip, _Mr. Gytha,_" she said, rather sarcastically, when she heard what he said to Carl.

Dray turned to Wenny and sighed, "you are too much like me for your own good, Enidwen."

"Oh really? Because I seem to remember you saying that I was not your daughter," she shot back, glaring at him again.

Dray simply turned back to Carl, "you need to get out of here. Unfortunately, I must keep up appearances, so you guys are going to have to do this on your own. Though, I will do what I can."

"What? Like give your associate 'free reign'?," Wenny retorted.

Dray turned to her, "Would you please be quiet!?"

Carl looked back and forth between Dray and Wenny for a moment. "Well, at least I know you really are her father," he said, holding back a grin after watching them fight a little. "You know, Wenny's right," he said after a moment. "Why should we trust you? You're a Death Eater," he said. Sure he was Wenny's father, but after what he had said when he was in the room earlier, Carl couldn't be sure of anything right now.

Dray looked towards the door, then turned back to Carl and sighed. He couldn't exactly tell them everything at their present location, as there were 'eyes' and 'ears' all around. The little that he had already said was enough to get him in very big trouble if it happened to have been overheard. "So is your _father,_ Carl." Of course, he was referring to Professor Snape. Since he was sure they knew that Snape was a 'spy,' Dray was hoping that would be enough to let Carl know enough to trust him.

Wenny, still not wanting to forgive her father quite yet, simply watched the two guys.

Carl looked down at the ground and tried to think for a few moments. He didn't exactly trust Snape most of the time either, but he didn't see that they had much of a choice. He finally looked back up and nodded. "Alright," he said quietly. "But how exactly do you plan for us to get out of here?" he asked. "This room isn't exactly full of exits." He glanced at Wenny. He could only imagine how she felt right now.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure at the moment, I only found out you were here when my _associate_," he began, glancing over at Wenny at the last word, "informed me that 'the girl' was claiming to be my daughter." He couldn't help but grin a little. He could only imagine what Wenny had said to the guy. Then he paused and turned to her.

"Enidwen, how did you know to ask for me here?," he asked, watching her closely.

"Does it matter?," she asked.

"Well, I suppose not," he said with a sigh, before turning back to Carl. "We are having a meeting tonight. We'll need to figure something out before then," he added. He left out the part that Carl and Wenny were supposed to be in attendance.

Carl kept his gaze on Dray, but glanced over at Wenny when he had asked how she knew that he was here. He looked down at the ground for a short moment and then looked back up at Dray. He was sure he didn't want to know why they needed to figure out something before the meeting. He nodded his head at Dray. "Alright," he said, wondering what they could possibly do to get them out of here.

He thought for a moment. "You know, you should be incredibly proud of your daughter. Just because she isn't in Slytherin, doesn't mean you shouldn't love her. If you took the time, you'd see just how special she really is," he said. He had wanted to say something to the guy since he had walked into the room.

When Wenny heard Carl, she looked over at him and gave him a small smile. And if it hadn't been for her father currently sitting across from them, she would've done more than smile at him. After a few moments, she looked at her father for any kind of reaction.

"I suppose you're right," he said, uncomfortably. Dray Gytha wasn't completely heartless, he just had his priorities wrong sometimes. He knew Carl was right about not 'loving' Wenny, but like most Slytherins, his pride got in the way of his apology.

"Enidwen, have you been practicing apparating?," he asked, turning to her.

Wenny nodded. She didn't want to tell him how many times she had apparated her and Carl out of dangerous situations. Though, neither did she want to think about the fact that they were currently in this room because she had failed to apparate them in the Hog's Head.

Carl couldn't help but smile as he heard Dray. Although, he thought he shouldn't just leave it at that, but at least it was a start. He smiled at Wenny and then turned back to her father at his question and wondered why he had asked. He wondered if he was suggesting that they apparate out of there. He hadn't thought of that, but even if he had, he would have suspected that they charmed the place like before at The Leaky Cauldron. He wondered if Dray could stop the charm if that was the case.

"Ok, well...you guys are going to have to stay here until at least dinner time," he started, talking very quietly to both of them. "That's when most of these guys will all be in one place, rather than them all being scattered around in different locations. Less chance of getting caught if they're all in one room." He paused for a moment, trying to think of what they could do. "I'll have to somehow be sure they are all distracted before coming back in here. But when I return, I will somehow get you out of the building. Then it will be up to you, Enidwen, to apparate you both away from here. Ok?"

Wenny nodded, but the thought of her having to apparate them made her nervous. Their fate was in her hands yet again. What would happen if, like in the Hog's Head, she found herself unable to apparate?

Carl felt Wenny's nervousness and glanced at her, feeling like he wanted to be alone with her to comfort her. "There's not going to be anyone _showing up_ while we're waiting, is there?" he asked him, slightly nervous at the idea, but he felt that he needed to know.

Dray sighed again and turned to Carl. "Unfortunately, I can't be sure of that. But I will do what I can to keep them away from here," he answered.

He then turned back to Wenny, "I hope you're not too angry with me, Enidwen."

Wenny looked at him a bit surprised. She didn't quite know what to say, so she merely shook her head.

Carl felt himself tense up a little at the thought of another Death Eater coming in there. He glanced at Wenny, not knowing what she would be thinking right now. But Dray Gytha didn't seem completely as evil as he had thought he would be from what Wenny had told him. Maybe he was just another misunderstood Slytherin.

"Very well, then," Dray said, standing up. "I must go, but remember...I'll back in a few hours, ok?" He looked at Wenny for a moment before turning and walking to the door.

Once he had left the room, Wenny turned to Carl. "Thank you for what you said," she said quietly.

He smiled at her. "You're welcome," he said quietly. "But it was only the truth, and he needed to hear it," he told her. "But see, he does love you," he said with a grin.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes, "I think it's more that he feels guilty that my life is in danger and he had no idea." It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it was possible. "So anyway, I guess we just kind of...wait...now?," she asked, though she already knew the answer. There wasn't exactly any other choice.

Carl nodded. "Yeah, I guess there isn't much anything else we can do, huh?" he said as he stood up and began pacing again. Every few seconds, he would think he heard someone at the door and tense up, but it turned out to be nothing. He feared he was becoming a little paranoid with the idea.

Wenny watched Carl pacing and it was making her more nervous by the second. He was usually the one telling her not to worry, so whenever she saw him worried, it made her worry even more. She stood up and walked over to him. Without saying anything, she put her arms around him.

He sighed and closed his eyes as he stopped pacing and put his arms around her. She always made things better when she was close to him. "We're going to get out of this, Wenny," he told her, now a little more sure of it, but still having to fight to keep that hope from fading. "Your father won't let anything happen to you. And neither will I," he said.

Without letting go of him, Wenny nodded slightly, "I trust you." She wasn't sure how they were going to get out of this, but she was beginning to have a little hope. After all, her father was going to help them escape. So surely, they would just have to wait a few hours here for him to return. And as long as no other Death Eaters came in the room, they would be fine.

Carl held her and then kissed her forehead gently before kissing her on her lips. He thought he heard something again and glanced quickly towards the door. When it was nothing yet again, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Wenny could tell how stressed Carl was and it worried her. They really didn't need to stress themselves out this early, since they were going to be here for hours. It would be best for them to just deal with problems as they happened. Though, she hoped they wouldn't have any problems at all.

In an attempt to get Carl to relax a bit, Wenny teased, "need another massage?"

He laughed lightly as he raised an eyebrow at her. He knew something that proved to help her forget her worries and even sometimes his in the past, but wasn't sure it would work in their current situations. But he had to at least try it. He kissed her on her lips again and then began kissing her neck gently.

Maybe it was the high tension situation they were currently in or the fact that, if things happened to not go as 'planned,' this might be their last day together (which was a very horrible thought that Wenny didn't want to even entertain), but his kisses seemed to have an even more powerful effect than usual. She felt her breath catch and her worries melting away within seconds. She put her hand on the back of his neck and slightly tilted her head back, as she closed her eyes.

He couldn't help but grin as he felt her hand on the back of his neck and continued to kiss her neck. He was glad he could do at least something to help, he thought as he kissed up her neck. He never wanted to stop with the effect that this was having on her.

Wenny could feel her cheeks reddening, but she didn't particularly care at that moment. In fact, she didn't particularly care about _anything_ at that moment. Except being with Carl. The thought that a Death Eater might walk in on them, or worse, _her father,_ didn't even enter her mind.

He wasn't planning on stopping unless he was forced to. He put one hand on her back and the other on her head, softly playing with her hair, as he continued to kiss her neck.

Wenny could barely think or even breath, his kisses were so intoxicating. She tightened her hold on him, as she didn't know how much longer she would be able to remain standing on her own. "Carl," she said breathlessly. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but his name was about all she could get out.

"Yes, Wenny?" Carl asked with a smirk on his face, but didn't stop kissing her neck. He was beginning to forget all about the situation they were in as well, which made him never ever want to stop. "I love you," he said between kisses.

Wenny grinned slightly at his 'question.' He knew very well that she was in no condition to answer. And when she heard him say he loved her, "Mmmhmm," was about all she could reply with.

Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped the the guy that had been in the room earlier that day. As soon as he saw them, he smirked. 


	34. Kisses & Crucios

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Kisses & Crucios**

Carl suddenly stopped and took only one step back as he glared at the Death Eater who had just entered the room. "What are you smirking at?" he asked through clenched teeth. "Trying to hold back the tears because no girl will ever love you as much as you love her?" he asked, now smirking himself.

The man simply glared at him and closed the door. "You both surprise me. I would have expected you'd try to kill yourselves by now instead of enjoying yourselves. I would if I was going to be facing Rabastan," he said nastily.

When she heard the door open, Wenny had quickly looked to the door, hoping it wasn't her father. But she would've preferred her father to the guy who had just walked in. She noticed his smirk and cringed, as she could only imagine what he must be thinking. Her mind was still a bit dazed from Carl's kiss, so she couldn't come up with a reply to the guy. She simply glared at him. After a moment, she finally found her voice. "What do you want?," she asked strongly. She wasn't in the mood to play games with this guy.

Carl looked over at Wenny for a moment when he heard her question and then looked back at the man for his answer, feeling tense again.

The man smirked again as he took another step into the room. "Oh, don't let me interrupt. Please, continue," he said, still smirking as he looked from Wenny to Carl.

Wenny gave the man a disgusted look then quickly looked away to hide the fact she was blushing a bit. This guy was a total creep. Though, she shouldn't have expected any more from him. He was a Death Eater, after all.

"Awww, don't go shy now," the guy taunted. He walked over and sat in one of the chairs and motioned for them to join him, "sit."

Not wanting to be imperio'ed again, Wenny glanced at Carl before walking over and sitting in one of the seats, still avoiding the man's gaze.

Carl's jaws seem to have been hurting a lot lately, he thought as he slowly walked over to the chair, glaring intently at the man. He very slowly sat down, not moving his gaze from him.

"Good," the man said with another smirk as he walked over to the last chair infront of them and sat down. He looked from Carl to Wenny and grinned when he saw that she still wasn't looking at him.

Perhaps the thought that her father was going to help them escape gave her a bit more confidence, but she really didn't want to put up with this guy's crap. "May we help you?," she asked him again, purposely turning to glare at him.

"Well, I was coming to make sure you hadn't killed each other, though that would've been fairly exciting to find. Though, I can't complain...," he said, smirking yet again.

This guy's taunts were beginning to wear on her nerves. She was extremely tempted to scratch his eyes out or something. Anything to make him go away and leave them alone.

Carl narrowed his eyes at the man, still glaring and clenching his jaw. "If that's all you wanted, then I think you've done your job. There's the door," he said, motioning with his head in the direction of the only door, but not taking his gaze off of the man.

The man just laughed and leaned back in the chair, but kept looking from Wenny to Carl and back for a short moment. "You know if it wasn't for Rabastan or Dray saying that they didn't want you spoiled before they got ahold of you, I'd already be having my fun," he told them with a glare.

At that, Wenny looked away from him again. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She was tempted to say that her father would kill him if he touched her, but given that her father had acted as if she wasn't his daughter, she knew that wouldn't have any effect on this guy. Not to mention that it wouldn't be smart to make him suspicious of her father.

He noticed Wenny's reaction and laughed. "Don't worry your pretty little head. As I said before, I can't touch you," he said, "not yet anyway." He glanced over at Carl and grinned.

Wenny wondered how long this creep was going to stay here with them. He was despicable. And he was absolutely terrifying her, which she was sure was exactly what he was trying to do.

Carl stood up again in anger. "If you lay one finger on her, I'll kill you!" he yelled at him.

The Death Eater pulled out his wand and simply pointed it at Carl. He laughed when Carl was forced back into the chair. "Again, Carl, you need to learn when to keep your mouth shut," he said, smirking as he turned to look at Wenny again.

That was the last straw for Wenny. She turned to the guy, "Is there a reason you have nothing else to do besides sit here, gawking at me and making crude comments? Are you not high enough on the food chain to have a real assignment, so you have to sit in here and babysit us?" As soon as she said it, though, she cringed inwardly. How would the guy respond to that? She was sure it wouldn't be pretty.

Sure enough, the guy stood up, walked over to her, and slapped her hard across the face. Then touched her cheek. "I could crucio you, you know. Just for a few moments, so as not to do any real damage. We're in here alone. Dray and Rabastan wouldn't even know."

Carl stood up again and punched the man right in the face and watched him as he brought his hand up to his now bloody nose. "I warned you, you son of a bitch!" Carl yelled at him. This guy was really getting on his nerves. And after that action, he felt like he could kill him. It was too bad he didn't have his wand.

"You little brat!" the man yelled. Forgetting about his wand for the moment, as he punched Carl back extremely hard.

Carl, who wasn't prepared, fell to the ground, knocking the back of his head on the chair. Carl looked up at him, holding his nose.

The man turned back to Wenny, still with a bloody nose. "Now where we were?" he said, bring his wand up now and moving her hair behind her shoulders with it.

"Get...away from me," Wenny said through clenched teeth, glaring at the guy. She wanted to check on Carl, but she didn't want to take her eyes off of this guy, for fear of what he might do when her back was turned. So instead, she simply called out to Carl, "are you alright?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine...," the guy answered, smirking, as he was so prone to do.

"Not _you._ Do you honestly think I would care whether or not you're alright?" Wenny asked, still glaring at him.

Carl stood up very slowly with the support of the chair, feeling suddenly dizzy as he did. He rubbed the back of his head, which hurt worse than where the man had punched him. "I'm fine," he said after awhile. He sat down in the chair with a major headache and holding his nose.

The man just laughed as he watched Carl stand up and then sit in the chair. Then he turned to Wenny with a frown. "Looks like your boyfriend is a little out of it," he said as he slowly turned the frown into a smirk.

Wenny continued glaring at the guy. "If you're going to do something to me, would you please hurry it up? I really don't feel like playing mind games with you," she said. Though, she had no intention of letting him do anything.

She glanced over at Carl for a second and then wished she hadn't. Seeing him like that really bothered her, not to mention made her feel rather alone. Though, that wasn't Carl's fault, of course.

The guy leaned in and whispered in her ear, "But that wouldn't be nearly as fun."

Carl stood up again, but not nearly as forceful as before. "Do something to her, I dare you," he said quietly, but threateningly. "Then when you do, I can kill you." Of course, he wasn't going to let him do anything to her.

The man smirked again as he kept his gaze on Wenny and didn't look over at Carl. "Well, why don't we find out if you'll kill me as you say," he said, not taking his eyes off of Wenny.

Wenny heard Carl's threat to the guy and turned to look at him. She hoped he could tell what she was thinking, that it wasn't worth him becoming a murderer. She turned back to the guy, trying not to let him see her fear. Though, she knew it was probably very obvious. She watched him, waiting for him to do something and preparing herself to fight back.

After a moment, the man stepped closer to her and put his hand back on her cheek.

"Don't touch me," Wenny warned, glaring at him and reaching up to slap his hand away.

"Well, I can't exactly step down from a dare, can I? So thank your boyfriend. I do," he said, with a glance to Carl, before grabbing her and kissing her forcefully.

"Oh hell no!" Carl yelled as he saw the guy kiss Wenny, and ran over to him and pushed him away from Wenny before punching him again, harder this time. Then he knocked him down on the ground and kept punching him, forgetting that the man had a wand in his hand. Seeing him kiss Wenny had sent him over the edge, _way_ over.

After finally realizing what was happening, the man gripped his wand tighter in his hand and put it to Carl's throat. But when Carl didn't stop, he pressed it harder and then pushed him off of him, making Carl land on his back next to him. Then he stood up, more blood coming from his nose and a black eye forming.

Wenny felt like crying, watching everything happening. She wished her father would hurry up and come back and rescue them, since she didn't think she could take much more of this. Not to mention that this guy was getting more daring by the second and that terrified her.

The guy stood over Carl, glaring down at him. "Crucio!," he said coldly.

Wenny heard the guy speak the unforgivable and without thinking, she ran at him and shoved him with all of the strength she could muster.

Carl winced and closed his eyes as he felt like his entire body was being stabbed with knives, over and over again.

The man tripped over the wriggling Carl on the ground and almost fell to the ground himself, but stopped himself with the wall. As he did, the curse was lifted from Carl. He turned around to look at Wenny. "You want some too?" he said with a slight smirk on his face. "Very well, I shall oblige. Crucio!"

Wenny screamed and fell to the ground, unable to do anything else due to the pain that was currently surging through her body. She had been crucio'ed once before, but this pain seemed to be something that would never get any less excruciating, no matter how many times you experienced it.

The man simply smirked as he held the curse on Wenny. He had been told not to harm them, but they had brought this on themselves, hadn't they? He glanced over at Carl, daring him to do something about it.

Carl moaned as he turned over and saw Wenny. He felt tears welling in his eyes when he tried to move, but couldn't. "Get up, get up," he told himself outloud, his voice quiet and croaky as he watched Wenny being tortured right infront of his eyes, again. He finally stood up with support of the wall, his whole body now feeling like there were needles stuck in his flesh. He ran over to the man, afraid that if he went any slower, he'd fall down. He ran into him and then fell to the ground.

The man moved only a little, but lifted the spell as his concentration was shaken. He glared down at Carl and then pointed his wand back at Wenny and opened his mouth. But Carl crawled quickly over to Wenny and covered her.

Wenny gasped for air when she felt the pain stop. Well, it wasn't completely gone yet, as she was still feeling the aftershocks, but at least it wasn't as intense as it had been a second before. She was a bit dazed and not quite sure what was happening, as she felt someone approach her. She pulled away, thinking it might be the guy, but as she slowly opened her eyes, she saw it was Carl. She was about to ask him what he was doing, when she heard the guy shout "Crucio!"

Wenny let out a cry when she realized what was happening. She couldn't even do anything about it. "STOP! _PLEASE!?_ I'll do whatever you want!" she screamed at the guy, hoping to at least distract him enough to break the curse.

Carl turned over and landed on his back next to Wenny, wincing again. He heard Wenny, but felt like she was distant. But he hoped the guy would stop the curse.

The man let up on the curse and smirked before pocketing his wand. He picked up Wenny by the shoulders, her feeling a little limp in his arms probably from the curse, and then kissed her again. Once again, his kiss was forceful, in anticipation of her pushing him away.

Wenny had to force herself not to start crying again, as the vile man kissed her. But she had agreed to this and if it meant the guy wouldn't torture Carl any longer, then she would keep her word. It didn't make it any easier to experience, though. The man's lips were rough and his scent was less than appealing.

The guy continued the kiss for what felt like ages to Wenny, his hands starting to travel in places that she didn't want them, and then he finally pulled back to look at her with a particularly nasty grin. He then looked down at Carl with a rather amused expression before resuming the kiss.

"STOP!" Carl yelled as loudly as he could, but out of breath, "_Please,_ stop!". He couldn't watch this anymore. He'd rather have the crucio curse than to watch what this guy was doing to Wenny. He turned over slowly and pushed himself up, which was extremely difficult, until he was on his knees. He found that he couldn't stand up.

The man just kissed her more forcefully and held her tighter. A moment later, he looked over at Carl. "It doesn't look like you're in any position to stop me," he said with a smirk and then grinned back at Wenny.

Wenny looked away from both of them. She couldn't stand seeing Carl in such condition, and she certainly didn't want to look at this horrible guy and his disgusting grins. Being held in his arms was bad enough.

"Awww, you must feel horrible, don't you? I bet you promised her that you'd 'protect' her and not let anyone touch her, didn't you? And look at you, not even able to stand up. How sad," the guy taunted.

"Don't say that to him," Wenny hissed. She would've slapped him, if he hadn't been holding her arms rather painfully at the moment. So she did the only thing she could think to do. She spitted in his face.

Carl glared at the man, though not nearly as strongly as he had earlier. He felt all of his strength slowly dripping away. He tried to stand up, but fell and sat on the ground. It wasn't all just the crucio curse that was doing this to him. It was the fact that the man was right. He had swore that he would die before letting anything happen to Wenny, and now he couldn't even stand up to help her. He looked down at the ground, feeling completely hopeless.

The man narrowed his eyes at Wenny as he slowly wiped the spit off of his face and then slapped her across the face with his hand again.

Wenny could see Carl out of the corner of her eye and she knew she had to get to him. She turned back and glared at the guy. "Let me go!," she said as she struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Nuh, uh, uh," the guy started, shaking his head, "remember what you said." He tightened his grip on her arms so much that she was sure was was going to have bruises. "But, if you so wish, I'll let you go...though, you know what that means," he added, glancing over to Carl.

Yes, Wenny did know what that meant. This guy would go back to torturing Carl. Wenny sighed, she couldn't let that happen. The man laughed when she stopped trying to get out of his grip.

Carl looked back up at them. "Let her go," he said quietly. He couldn't stand watching it anymore. "Wenny, don't let that man put his lips to yours again," he said, more begging than anything. He never thought that he would take the cruciatus curse over watching someone kiss someone else. But every time he saw that man with his lips, and hands, on Wenny, it both ripped Carl's heart to pieces and filled him with a burning fury.

The guy smirked from Carl to Wenny. "Lets see, I can either kiss you or torture him. Either sound fine to me," he said with a grin.

Wenny heard Carl's request and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to decide what to do. How did Carl expect her to stand by while he was being tortured? She couldn't possibly do that. Seeing Carl tortured was a hundred times worse than having this man's disgusting lips on hers.

"So what will it be, dearie?," the man asked, watching her struggling with the decision. He found the whole situation rather fascinating.

Wenny took a deep breath, hoping she was doing the right thing. "Let me go," she said quietly, not looking at either guy.

"As you wish," the man stated simply before letting go of her and turning on Carl. Within a split second, he had his wand out, "Crucio!"

Carl cringed as his back hit the ground again and he let out a painful noise. But somehow knowing that this man wasn't currently kissing Wenny made it not quite as bad as last time. He would have told Wenny thank you or smiled at her if he wasn't writhing around on the ground at the moment.

The man showed no signs of lifting the curse anytime soon as he looked at Carl to Wenny. He knew how his actions were effecting both of them, having to watch the other going through this. And he rather enjoyed providing the causes for it, he thought as he smirked and watched Carl.

Once the man had looked away from her, Wenny punched his wand arm with all of her might, hoping to break the curse. Sure enough, it did break the man's concentration and therefore, the curse. To her surprise, his wand flew out of his hand as well. He cursed and turned on Wenny.

"Just what do you think you're doing, eh? You think this is a game? I could kill you right now! Both of you!," he yelled, about an inch from her face. He then turned to retrieve his wand and she knew she had to do something. She summoned as much strength as she could, and kicked him.

Carl took a deep breath and coughed as he felt like he was breathing in acid. He looked over at them in time to see Wenny kick the man. He forced himself to sit up, but still could not stand. He glanced over at the wand on the floor.

The man was knocked off his feet and cursed as he hit the floor. He stood up slowly with the help of the wall and narrowed his eyes at Wenny. "You little..." he trailed off as he ran to get his wand.

Not knowing what else to do and _really_ not wanting the man to regain his wand, Wenny ran after the man and jumped on his back, trying to cover his eyes with her hands. She could only imagine what kind of scene it made, but she wasn't worried about that right now. All that currently mattered was keeping him from getting his wand, as he would surely turn it on her as soon as he could. "Carl, get his wand!," she yelled, hoping Carl would be strong enough.

The man started trying to knock Wenny off of his back, but she held on tight, refusing to be shaken off. But then he backed up rather forcefully into the wall, knocking the breath out of Wenny and she fell to the floor.

Carl watched them for a moment before crawling as fast as he could over the floor to get the wand. He grabbed it and was fixing to stand up, with every limb in his body aching, but something stopped him and he winced.

The man had run over to his wand and had stepped on Carl's hand with the heel of his shoe, pressing harder on it. "You will give me my wand," he said threatening.

Wenny was still lying in the floor, trying to catch her breath. She hoped Carl had been able to get the man's wand, and when she heard the man speak, she wondered if that meant Carl had it. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the man standing on Carl's hand. "Leave him alone!," she said as loudly as she could, though in her current state, wasn't very loud.

"Gladly," the man said before reaching down and wrenching the wand from Carl's hand and then walking over to Wenny. He raised his wand at her, "You really need to learn to control yourself, girl. Crucio!"

_"NO!"_ Carl yelled as he stood up, a new found strength surging through him. Although, that didn't mean his limbs ached any less. "This is getting really old!" he yelled. He ran over to the guy and put his arm around his neck, trying to choke him.

The spell was lifted as the man stepped back, losing concentration. He bent over low, forcing Carl to be thrown to the ground on his back. "Yes, it's getting extremely old!" the guy yelled as he was turning red, completely frustrated.

Wenny had already been weak and out of breath, having been slammed into the wall, but after being crucio'ed yet again, she was even more so. In fact, she was barely conscious. She could hear Carl and the man yelling at each other, but really couldn't understand what was being said.

The man stood over Carl, his wand pointed down at him. "In fact, we could just end this here. Right now," the man threatened.

Carl looked up at him, upside down from where he was lying. "Go ahead," he said quietly. "I'll just be sad that I won't get to watch your punishment from Rabastan," he said, showing a slight grin curling at the corners of his mouth.

The man narrowed his eyes at Carl and hesitated. "You kids are more trouble than you're worth," he muttered as he glanced at Wenny and then looked back to Carl.

Wenny slowly opened her eyes, hoping to find Carl alright, and was rather shocked to see the man standing over him. She couldn't tell if Carl was unconscious or not, or worse, and it frightened her. "Get away from him!," she tried yelling, though it still wasn't as loud as she would've liked.

The man turned to Wenny, "I really don't think you're in any position to be giving orders."

About that time, the door opened once more. 


	35. In The Waiting

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Five: In The Waiting**

Lucius Malfoy walked into the room. He looked from the man holding his wand at Carl to the two of them on the ground rather calmly. "Thank you, Russo. That'll be all," he said, still calm.

Russo lowered his wand, a bit nervous at the appearance of Lucius. He bowed his head and headed to the door after taking one last look at Wenny and Carl.

Had it not been Lucius Malfoy who had just entered the room, Wenny would've breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the man leave. Unfortunately, she knew Lucius would probably have more 'free reign' to harm them than the other guy had, and that worried her.

Lucius walked over to Carl. "Get up," he said, sneering. He glanced over at Wenny, "you, too."

Wenny wasn't sure she'd be able to stand, but she knew she needed to try, as to not upset Lucius. She slowly stood, leaning against the wall for support, wondering what Lucius wanted.

Carl, too, used the wall for support as he stood up, feeling like he was just going to fall back to the ground. He glanced at Wenny, wanting to go over to her, but decided against it due to Lucius being in the room. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he muttered, his mouth dry as ever.

"You better thank me, you ungrateful brat," he spat. "Now as much as I'd like to have as much fun as Russo looked like he had with you two, I follow orders. Then again, I _am_ higher up than he is," he said with a smirk as he looked from Carl to Wenny.

Wenny was tempted to reply with something about how surprising that was given his incompetence or that anyone would be higher up than that 'Russo' creep, but given that she and Carl were both weak and wandless and Lucius wasn't, she figured she'd best keep her comments to herself. Instead, she just glared at him.

"I hope you two have been enjoying your time with us so far," Malfoy said with a smirk. "Though, I assure you, the best is yet to come."

"Tell me something, Lucius," he said, still leaning against the wall. He licked his dry lips as he glared at Malfoy. "Why are you such a great big git?" he spat at him.

Malfoy just laughed. "Your insults will get you into a lot of trouble, Carl. As I'm sure Wenny here knows," he said as he smirked and looked over at Wenny.

Wenny continued to glare at Lucius at his comment. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm or look away. "May I ask why you have felt the need to grace us with your presence, Mr. Malfoy?"

Lucius grinned and then walked over and sat in one of the chairs, "I just thought I'd come to invite you both to a little party we're having later. It just wouldn't be the same without you both there. You are the guests of honor, after all."

Carl felt himself tense up again, even moreso this time. "You mean the party where all you Death Eaters get together and watch us _die!?"_ he asked loudly. "You know, that sounds exciting, but I think we'll pass," he said as he glared at Malfoy.

Lucius smirked and leaned back in the chair, examining the both of them. "I think you'll find that we're very... _persuasive,"_ he said, grinning.

Upon hearing Carl's comment, Wenny looked over at him, rather terrified. She was starting to think they wouldn't escape this nightmare. That this is how it would all end. She still held out a small bit of hope that her father would keep his word and return for them. But it was looking less likely by the moment, that they would even survive until he arrived. She turned back to Lucius, not quite sure what to say, or if she could even say anything at all.

Lucius noticed Wenny's silence and turned to her, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. _We_ always do. Besides, there are several people wanting to meet _you."_ He turned back to Carl, "I'll be coming to get you two around dinner time. I expect that you won't get into any kind of _trouble_ before then."

Carl just glared at him and decided not to say anything else, hoping that that was going to be the last thing he said to them, including curses. He wanted so badly to hold Wenny. He watched Lucius in the chair while there was a pause in the 'conversation.'

Lucius finally stood up and looked from Wenny and Carl for a moment before grinning and cocking his head. "Well, don't go anywhere," he said with a smirk.

Wenny was hoping Lucius' comment meant that he was leaving them, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he did finally leave the room.

She looked over at Carl for a moment, then looked away as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say to him, after what they had just been through.

Carl looked at Wenny and now wasn't quite sure how he could embrace her. He had just let that happen to her and he didn't even do anything. He looked down at the ground and bit his tongue to hold back the tears that were now beginning to blur his vision.

Wenny sniffled and tried to blink back her tears before taking a few steps towards Carl. She wanted to grab him and put her arms around him and feel his arms around her, but at the same time...she wasn't quite sure she was ready for that yet. She looked down at her hands, which she was wringing quite nervously, "are you ok?"

He looked up at her, kind of curiously. "I'm fine," he said quietly. He was more concerned about her than himself. "Wenny, I'm so sorry," he said softly, allowing a tear to escape down his cheek. He closed his eyes when he thought of what had happened moments earlier.

She looked up at him for a moment then slowly walked over to him and wiped his tear. She shook her head, "it's not your fault, Carl."

Truth be told, she was feeling rather ashamed. Not only because he had seen what had happened, which made her feel rather dirty, but also because she was still blaming herself for them even being there. They could've and should've been safely in Hogwarts, spending the day together in the Room. Instead, they were here, possibly about to die soon. And it was all because she had wanted chocolate frogs.

Carl looked up at her slowly. "You know it's not yours either," he said quietly. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was blaming herself, because he was still doing the same thing. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I'll tell you what. We shrug off blame. Because it's no one's fault," he said, opening his eyes again. "Blame just makes this whole situation seem so much worse, and neither of us need that right now. Besides, if you hadn't dragged me to Hogsmeade, it would've been me dragging you," he said quietly.

Wenny wasn't sure if she could completely 'shrug off blame,' as he had suggested, but she was willing to try, "ok." She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him. "We're going to get through this, aren't we?," she asked quietly. She needed to hear him say that they would be fine. Even if he didn't believe it. She just didn't want to lose all hope yet, and it was becoming rather difficult not to.

Carl gave her a small smile. "I really don't think that your father is going to let anything happen to you, Wenny," he said quietly. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't either, but he had already let her down in that department. "And I will do _everything I can_ to keep you safe," he decided to tell her. "Your father has good plan," he said, nodding his head. Although, he couldn't be sure how exactly good of a plan it was. "We're going to get through this," he reassured both of them and putting his hand gently on her cheek for a moment before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She reached up and put his hand back on her cheek, keeping her hand on his, and closed her eyes. She nodded slightly, wanting to believe him that her father was going to be able to come through for them. She wondered where he was at the moment and if he had any idea what they had just been through. Surely he didn't or he would've been there. Or at least, she hoped so.

He smiled slightly and put his free arm around her. He wanted to at least kiss her forehead or cheek or something, but he doubted that even his kisses on her neck would make things any better right now, so just simply held her.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, as she gently placed her other hand on his cheek. She wanted to apologize again, but she knew he wouldn't let her. He had just told her to 'shrug off blame.' But she still felt bad.

After a few minutes, she put both of her arms around him, enveloping him in a hug. She put her cheek on his shoulder, facing away from his neck. "Carl, I know you're going to tell me not to say this, but I need to. I'm so sorry. I feel so bad about everything and I know I probably handled that guy wrong, but I just couldn't stand seeing you like that," she said rather quickly, wanting to get it all out before he stopped her.

Carl pulled her back to look at her. "Wenny, don't say that. Don't say any of that. Please," he begged. He turned away and shifted his body. "I can't take it," he said quietly. He leaned his head against the wall as he closed his eyes. None of it was her fault, and he hated her thinking it was. But he had promised that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and he broke it.

"Carl, are you ok?," she asked, worried. What if they survived this ordeal, but then they weren't able to get over it? What if the guilt and the memories ate at them until they could barely stand to be around each other? No, she couldn't think like that. If she did, she really would lose all hope.

"I'm fine," he lied quietly as he kept his eyes closed. Then he opened his eyes and turned to her. "No, I'm not fine," he told her. "I broke my promise. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt you. And I let that filthy man put his lips and hands on you!" he yelled the last bit in anger as he felt his vision going blurry again.

Wenny closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think of what to say to him. After a few moments, she looked at him. "Carl, you didn't _let him_ do anything. _I'm_ the one who told him he could. And I'm fine, it was only a kiss," she said quietly, stopping herself from saying _'it could've been much worse.'_ She didn't really want to think of what could've happened.

Carl sighed and closed his eyes again. "I still should've stopped him," he said quietly. He continued to lean against the wall and then slid down to the ground. He put his chin in his hands as he opened his eyes and looked across the room. He wanted Wenny in his arms, but after what had happened, he wasn't sure what Wenny wanted or that he even deserved to do so.

"You did everything you could, Carl. You had just been crucio'ed. It's not as if you were simply sitting there because you didn't care or something," she replied quietly, watching him closely.

She watched him as he sat down and she wanted to reach out for him, but she wasn't sure if either one of them were quite ready for that yet. But then again, this was her _Carl._ Not that foul man.

Wenny sighed and then sat down beside Carl, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. "Carl, just promise me that we're not going to let this...," she began, but didn't want to finish. She didn't want to think about this tearing them apart. She didn't think she would survive if it did.

Carl looked at her, knowing what she was talking about. He finally put his arms around her, fighting back the tears. "Wenny, I love you. I can't live without you," he said quietly. After a moment, he quickly pulled away and dried his eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe it had been too soon, but it was the only thing that he could think of, or even the only the thing he wanted to do.

She looked at him and nodded, as a few tears rolled down her cheeks, then reached over and put her arms around him. She was terrified of the situation they were in and what the Death Eaters might be planning to do to them at this "party," but at the moment, the thought of not having Carl terrified her even more.

Carl closed his eyes as he slowly put his arms back around her. He actually smiled a little as he felt her close to him again. "I knew you were the reason I'm always so happy," he said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. He knew that it wouldn't change much, but he just hoped that they would be out of there as soon as Wenny's father had said. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend they were at the lake and that the wall was the tree, but it didn't do any good.

Wenny gave a little smile at his comment. She watch him for a moment as he closed his eyes, wondering what he was currently thinking about. Part of her wanted to kiss him, but at the same time, she didn't think she should. She still felt rather unclean, thanks to that horrible man.

Instead, she just kept her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder, as she closed her eyes. The thought that their time together was rapidly slipping away kept appearing in her mind, but she kept trying to ignore it, which was getting more difficult by the second.

He kept his eyes closed and his arms around her. He tried his best to just clear his mind and focus on Wenny, that she was safe right now and no one was hurting her. He just wanted to sit there and regain his strength so he had enough the next time he needed to punch somebody. He wouldn't let her down again.

Wenny sat there for a long while, just holding him and feeling his arms around her...and trying to block out the many negative thoughts in her mind. "Carl, I'm really scared. What if he doesn't come back for us? Or what if Lucius gets here first and we end up having to go to this meeting?," she asked quietly, her head still on his shoulder. It had to be getting close to the time that both her father and Lucius had said they would return for them.

"Your father will be here," Carl said confidently. He had seemed sincere and nobody seemed to be suspecting him yet, or at least from what he could tell.

Wenny sighed, hoping he was right. But what if Lucius got there first? Her father wouldn't be able to rescue them then. Or what if her father had been discovered and was currently being tortured? That was a horrible thought, but she knew it was a very real possibility. "But what if...," she began, but was interrupted by the door suddenly opening once more. Wenny was too scared to see who it was this time. She held on to Carl, her eyes tightly closed, waiting for the person to speak. 


	36. Escape Plan

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Escape Plan**

Carl looked towards the opening door and the person stepping inside, not really in the mood for any surprises. He felt Wenny tighten her hold on him and he did the same. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. "Mr. Gytha!" he said.

Dray quickly walked inside and closed the door behind him. He saw Wenny with her eyes closed and could tell she was quite shaken up. "Wenny, are you ok? I couldn't stop them from coming up here. I'm sorry," he said as he walked towards the two of them on the floor.

When Wenny heard Carl call out to her father, she, too, gave a sigh of relief and then turned to look up at him. She nodded in answer to his question, then after a moment shook her head slowly. "No, but I will be," she said quietly, looking away. She hoped he didn't ask too many questions because she really didn't want to go into details about what had happened. She just wanted to get out of that room and apparate away as soon as possible.

Dray kneeled down beside them and looked at her for a moment before turning to Carl. "What happened?," he asked, worried. He could tell that something had happened and knew that Wenny probably wouldn't tell him.

Carl looked at Wenny for a moment before turning to Dray and taking a deep breath. "I think the guy's name was Russo. He uh..." he said, pausing. He couldn't decide whether to tell him the whole thing. "He put the Cruciatus Curse on both of us," he told him.

Dray sighed as he looked back at Wenny. "I see," he said quietly as he continued to watch her.

Wenny was still avoiding her father's eyes, and even more so when she heard Carl's answer. Though, she was grateful that he had answered the way he did.

Dray watched Wenny for another moment. He could tell that something else had happened, especially since she wouldn't look at him. He didn't want to upset her, though, so he decided not to push the issue. He sighed and looked back to Carl, "Lucius is supposedly coming up here in less than an hour to escort you guys to the...meeting. So we're going to have to come up with something _now."_

Carl nodded his head as he looked from Wenny back to Dray. "Well, you know the place and the Death Eaters better than we do," he said.

"Right," Dray said. "Well, I suppose they'll start coming together in one place fairly soon. The problem would be getting you guys out of here between then and when Lucius comes up here," he said, thinking.

"Is there anyway to distract Lucius?," Wenny asked, turning to look at her father. "Maybe you could catch him on the way up here and speak to him for a few minutes to give us time to get out?"

"Possibly, but I'm not sure what I could distract him with, without it looking suspicious. And we definitely do not want Lucius suspicious. He's got a lot to prove after...," he trailed off.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, "you knew he was attacking us? And you did nothing about it?" She was starting to get rather angry at her father. How could he have known their lives were in danger and not do anything?

Dray sighed and put his head in his hands. "I didn't know it was you. They just mentioned that Carl had a young girl with him. They didn't name names," he said. He paused a moment and looked up at her, "Did you really think I wouldn't have cared if they were about to kill you?"

Of course she did, after the huge deal he made of her being sorted into Hufflepuff and how much of a disappointment it was. She was only a kid when it happened and before then, her father had been her best friend. To say she had been hurt by his actions was quite an understatement. But Wenny wasn't about to answer his question, so she simply looked down at the floor.

Besides, it still bothered Wenny that he knew Carl was being attacked and hadn't done anything. Regardless of whether or not he knew that Wenny even knew Carl.

Carl looked between Dray and Wenny for a moment. He loooked up at Dray with an expression that said _well, you didn't exactly do much to help her think otherwise_ and then looked at Wenny and held her a little closer. After a moment, he looked back up at Dray. "So what's the plan?" he asked.

Dray sighed as he looked from Wenny to Carl. "I'll just have to hope to have good timing," he said quietly. "But you two should be ready to go the second I come, because Lucius will probably be not far behind me."

Wenny wasn't sure what else to say and she wasn't quite ready to look at her father yet, so she simply nodded. She was more worried about whether or not she would be able to apparate them before being caught again, rather than getting out of this room. It wouldn't take long for them to run out the door, but apparating would take a lot of concentration on her part. And as she discovered at the Hog's Head, that wasn't easy in high stress situations. Not for her at least.

"Ok, here's what we'll do, as soon as you hear me muttering the curses to unlock the door, be ready to run out the moment I open it. That way, I can say that you two ambushed me as I opened the door. Now, this is how you get out of here," he said as he drew a small map on the floor. "It isn't too difficult, but be sure to memorize it after I leave. The last thing we need is for you two to get lost in here while trying to escape."

Carl looked down at the map and studied it for a moment. He was a little nervous to say the least, but he had to believe that they could do it. He was starting to wonder if Snape was going to be there for the meeting. But he didn't want to think about Snape right now, so he looked back up at Dray and smiled slightly. "Thank you for helping us," he said quietly.

"I couldn't imagine not helping my daughter...and her...boyfriend," he said as he looked from Carl to Wenny. He stood up and looked down at them. "I really do wish you both luck," he said quietly as he sent Wenny a small smile.

Wenny heard her father's comment and looked up at him. Until then, she hadn't really considered the danger he was putting himself in by helping them. If the others found out that he had helped them escape...well, that wasn't something Wenny wanted to think about. Knowing the possibilites of what might happen if things didn't go as they hoped, Wenny realized, as she had with Carl earlier, that this could be the last time she would see her father. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she stood up and put her arms around him, "I'm sorry."

"Shhh, don't apologize. You guys are going to be fine. Just remember what I told you. Memorize the escape route I drew, be ready to run me over when I open the door, and then apparate as soon as you are outside the building. Don't turn back, and don't wait for anything or anyone, ok?," Dray said, trying to comfort his daughter.

Wenny nodded, "ok." She held on to him for another few moments, knowing what she needed to say, but not quite sure if she would be able to. But this was her father and their lives were on the line. It wasn't a time for pride. "I love you," she said quietly.

Dray sighed, "I love you, too, Enidwen." He pulled back and looked at her, "You guys are going to be fine." He looked over at Carl. "I expect you to take care of her," he said, trying to hide his own nervousness and the tears that were threatening to appear. He was hoping for the best, but preparing himself for the worst.

Carl watched them with a smile on his face. He felt himself feeling a little jealous, and he hated himself for it, but he quickly tried his best to make that feeling go away as he nodded his head to Dray. "I will," he said, wanting to hold himself to his word this time.

Dray smiled at Carl and then at Wenny. He hugged her for a moment one last time before turning towards the door. He looked back at them. "Good luck," he said very quietly, nodding his head slightly and smiling at Wenny.

Wenny watched her father leave and then turned to Carl. "Well, I guess this is it, then...," she said quietly. They would either escape and find their way back to Hogwarts safely, or...they wouldn't. And she was absolutely terrified.

Carl stood up and walked over to her. He nodded and smiled at her as he put his hand on her cheek. "We can do it," he said quietly. "We'll get through this," he told her as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and then put his arms around her.

Wenny nodded, "yeah. We will." She was hoping they wouldn't have to wait long because her nervousness seemed to get worse with each passing moment. It gave her too much time to think and to worry about the whole thing. She looked down at the little map, "we should start memorizing this."

He nodded as he followed her gaze down to the small map on the floor and then sat down infront of it. He started to try to remember which ways they were going to need to go, but his nervousness was getting in the way. He took a deep breath and started again and memorized where they would need to go from the room they were in.

After a few moments, she looked up at him. "Carl," she began, "...if they happen to catch us, I don't want you to die for me." She had been thinking about it a lot and she knew that he probably had as well. How could they not, in the situation they were in? She knew that getting caught was a definite possibility and if the Death Eaters caught them trying to escape, they wouldn't be as nice as they had been. And they hadn't been very nice. She shuddered at the thought of what they would do if she and Carl were caught trying to escape. "I can't watch you die and even if you did that, they'd just kill me afterwards."

Carl stood up and walked over to her. "Wenny, I'm going to do anything I possibly can to give you as much time as you need to escape. Even if that means dying for you," he said quietly, putting his hand on her cheek. "And if something happens to me, you run as fast as you can and you apparate out of here. Promise me," he told her.

Wenny shook her head. "I don't want you to do that, Carl. And I wouldn't be able to apparate if...something like that happened," she replied honestly, but not wanting to think about something happening to him. If she couldn't apparate in the Hog's Head, how would she be able to if she had just seen Carl killed? Or knew he was about to be killed?

He sighed and closed his eyes. Then lets promise each other something," he said, opening his eyes again. "We won't let anything happen to the other," he said. Although, how could they possibly promise that? If they got caught, there was really nothing they would be able to do. But they could at least start there.

She nodded this time, "ok. I promise." She knew that it would be a promise that was easily broken, but she would rather promise that than to promise to leave him behind. She put her arms around him and put her cheek against his, closing her eyes. She was trying to prepare herself for whatever might happen.

About that time, Wenny heard someone outside of the door start muttering the curse to unlock it, and looked at Carl. "Oh god," she said, starting to panic. She took a deep breath, "we can do this." She grabbed his hand and quickly walked over to the door, hoping her father was the one on the other side. But even if he wasn't, she knew they had to run for it anyway. They would just be more likely to be caught.

He smiled at her and then heard the curse. He felt his heart start beating quicker within his chest as he held onto Wenny's hand tightly. "We can do this," he repeated Wenny as he turned towards the door, taking a deep breath. Then he saw the doorknob turn and the door start to open. 


	37. Dueling Daddies

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Dueling Daddies**

Before the door had completely opened, Wenny ran for it, pulling Carl along with her, and knocking down whoever had opened the door. She was too frightened to even look back to see who it had been, for fear that it might not have been her father. And before they could get to the first turn, she saw a jet of red light come rushing past her on the left and her fear was confirmed. It hadn't been her father who opened the door.

Carl ran with Wenny, also not looking at who it had been. He cursed when he saw the spell shoot past Wenny, and started to run a little faster, his heart beating faster along with him. He thought he could hear whoever had opened the door running after them as they made the next turn.

"This is not good!," she said, more to herself than to Carl. Whenever she apparated, it always took her a few seconds to concentrate on her destination. Unfortunately, with Death Eaters running after them, she probably wouldn't have a few seconds. So, as they ran through the corridors, Wenny tried concentrating on Diagon Alley. She hoped it would help her be able to apparate faster once they were finally outside. If they made it.

Carl was looking behind him as he continued to run when he felt himself run into a solid object and then he turned to see what it was...or rather who. Then he froze when he saw who it was. "Run Wenny," he said quietly before he was able to react with anything else.

Rabastan grabbed Carl's arms and shook him. "Where do you think you're going?" he said through clenched teeth, although smirking as he then put one hand on Carl's throat and then forced him up against the wall.

Wenny heard Carl and looked over and cursed under her breath when she saw Rabastan. She wasn't sure what she could do about the situation, given that she was wandless, but she knew she couldn't possibly leave Carl there. She knew she had to do _something._ Especially after what she had just promised Carl.

"Let go of him!," she shouted. She wasn't sure what she thought it would accomplish, besides possibly making Rabastan come after her instead, but it was all she could think of in that split second.

Carl struggled for a moment up against the wall, his face turning slightly red from being choked, and then stopped when he saw Rabastan bring out his wand. Then he kicked him, making him loosen his grip on his throat. He kneed him in the gut and then took Wenny's hand again and started running.

Rabastan cursed and then aimed his wand at the two of them as they started running away. "Stupefy!" he yelled. He didn't want them to be completely spoiled before the meeting, he thought.

Wenny watched Carl fight his way away from Rabastan and then felt him take her hand. She glanced at him as she started running as fast as possible with him along the corridor, not looking back.

She heard Rabastan's curse a mere second before everything went black.

Carl cursed as he avoided the spell but then saw it hit Wenny. He caught her before she could hit the ground. He looked back and saw Rabastan. He had to try to get them out of there at least. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and started running down the stairs, avoiding Rabastan's curses every now and then. He couldn't run nearly as fast with Wenny over his shoulder, and he could hear Rabastan coming closer.

Rabastan smirked as he saw his curse hit Wenny and then started running after Carl. "You can't get out of here now, boy!" he yelled as he continued shooting spells at him, coming closer as he chased him down the stairs.

Dray Gytha happened to be on the lower floor and saw Carl as he exited the stairwell with Wenny on his shoulder. For a moment, he wasn't sure how to react, since there were other Death Eaters around him. But this was his daughter and her friend and he couldn't let them be killed right infront of him. So if saving them meant blowing his cover, then oh well.

"Keep running!," he shouted to Carl as he pulled out his wand. As soon as he saw Rabastan run down the stairs, Dray disarmed him. "Leave my daughter alone, Rabastan."

He stopped after he ran past Dray and then turned around, looking between him and Rabastan nervously. He knew he had to get Wenny to safety, but he didn't want anything to happen to Dray either. He knew that if something did, Wenny would be devastated. He nodded to Dray and kept running.

Rabastan narrowed his eyes at Dray after being disarmed. "I always knew there was something up with you, Gytha," he said with a smirk forming on his face. "I should have done away with you long ago," he said before running for his wand.

Dray kept his own wand pointed at Rabastan, "Oh really? Do tell what gave me away?" He had been tempted to accio Rabastan's wand, but he knew that wouldn't do any good, as Rabastan would simply call for the two guys nearby. At the moment, however, the guys appeared to be preoccupied. And without knowing the full situation, they wouldn't think anything of him and Rabastan having an altercation. It had happened before.

Carl continued to run. He turned a corner and saw a couple of Death Eaters facing the opposite way. He cursed silently and turned quickly around and starting running the other way again, looking for an alternate escape route.

"Call it instinct," Rabastan sneered as he picked up his wand and pointed it at Dray. "Crucio!" he yelled.

Dray fell to the ground as the pain overtook his body. He had been crucio'ed many times before, but the pain always felt just as intense each time. He could barely think straight, but he knew he had to do _something._ He couldn't just let Rabastan kill him, because he'd for sure go after Wenny and Carl afterwards. With all the strength he could gather, he raised his wand and thought _'expelliarmus.'_

Carl didn't stop running, no matter how out of breath he felt. After awhile, he made it outside and looked at the dark sky, breathing in the fresh air. He sat Wenny down on the ground and looked around anxiously, wishing he had his wand so he could wake her up. He shook her shoulder a little, "Wenny, _please_ wake up."

Rabastan smirked as he watched Dray fall to the ground. Then his wand flew out of his hand and he narrowed his eyes down at Dray before running to pick it up again. He was determined to say the least.

This time, Dray wasn't going to chance being crucio'ed again or worse. He looked past Rabastan and thought _'Accio Rabastan's wand,'_ causing Rabastan's wand to fly into his own hand. "That was so kind of you, Rabastan. I haven't been crucio'ed in quite a while."

Wenny could barely hear her name being said, but she was still deep enough into the unconscious state that she couldn't do anything about it.

Carl shook her a little harder. "Wenny, _please_ wake up," he said desperately. He looked around, wondering if he should run them a little ways from here.

Rabastan turned and glared at Dray. "You know what I think we'll do? We'll torture and kill your daughter right infront of you," he said with a smirk on his face as he continued to glare at Dray.

Wenny stirred a little and tried to open her eyes, "Carl?" She finally was able to open her eyes a little and then opened them wide when she noticed they were outside. "We're outside?"

"I'd like to see you try," Dray said through clenched teeth. He was tempted to crucio the guy, but didn't want to bring any more attention to the situation than necessary, so instead...'Stupefy!'

Carl let out a sigh of relief as he saw Wenny open her eyes. He nodded. "We made it outside, Wenny," he said, a little happily. But he wasn't sure that Wenny would be able to apparate in her condition. Then he heard someone, or more than one person, at the door.

Rabastan glared at the man before hearing him say the spell. Then he fell to the ground as he blacked out.

Wenny slowly sat up and looked at Carl, panicked, "I'm supposed to apparate us now?" She had been worried about apparating them before, but now...she was barely conscious! How was she supposed to do this!? She took his hand and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on Diagon Alley.

Dray saw the curse hit Rabastan and he turned to run towards the exit. The other Death Eaters hadn't been made aware that he was a spy yet, so he wasn't worried about anyone else stopping him. He wanted to make sure Wenny and Carl had made it outside and were gone.

Carl looked at her and smiled as he held her hand tightly. "You can do it, Wenny," he said quietly. Then he watched her and stayed quiet so she could concentrate. The door opened and about three Death Eaters came out. Carl closed his eyes.

When Dray reached the exit, he saw Carl and Wenny on the ground and three guys headed towards them. Since their backs were to him, he was easily able to stupefy the men. He ran over to Wenny and Carl. Without saying a word, he grabbed their hands and apparated all three of them to outside of the Gytha residence.

"Enidwen, I want you to quickly get anything you don't want to lose and put it in a trunk. Shrink it and then you apparate yourselves to Diagon," he told her quickly.

"Why?," she asked, watching him curiously.

"Just do it. I'll explain later," he answered.

Carl looked between Dray and Wenny, confused. He stopped himself from asking what was going on, because he knew Dray would just tell him the same thing he had told Wenny. "How can I help, Mr. Gytha?" he asked, wanting to be able to do something.

"Go with her, and make sure she doesn't take too long," Dray replied, ushering them into the house, "then meet me in Diagon as soon as possible. At the joke shop." Once inside, he turned and headed down one of the hallways, leaving them alone.

Wenny wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but she was extremely relieved to be in her own house again. She took Carl's hand and started walking up the stairs towards her bedroom. "I wonder what he's not telling us?," she asked, thinking outloud.

"I don't know," Carl said quietly. Then after a moment of walking, he stopped and turned to Wenny. "We're out of that place, Wenny," he said, smiling. He didn't care that Dray seemed like they were still in danger. The fact was that they were out of that place, for now at least. He put one arm around her waist and the other on her cheek. He wanted to kiss her, but wasn't sure she was ready with everything that had happened earlier that day.

Wenny smiled a little, "we are." Though, she didn't remember them actually escaping, though. Well, she did remember Rabastan having Carl against the wall. "I told you I couldn't leave you behind," she said with a slight grin. She may have been unconscious at the time it happened, but she knew there was only way she could've woken up outside with Carl. _He_ hadn't left _her_ behind.

Carl smiled and nodded. "No, you didn't," he said quietly. "Thank you," he said as he took her hand and started walking again. At least they had kept their promise to each other. Well, sort of. He had let her get stupefied, which he wasn't feeling too good about at the moment, but he knew it could have been a whole lot worse. Although, he didn't want to even think of just how much worse it could've been.

"No, thank _you,"_ she said, stopping to look at him again. She wanted to kiss him, but she was still a bit unsure about that. But this was Carl, the amazing guy who had saved her life in so many ways. Not wanting to give herself time to talk herself out of it, she quickly leaned over and gave him one small kiss. She looked at him for a moment afterwards, and then walked over and opened the door to her room. "Well, um, this is my room," she said, as they walked in.

Carl smiled as she kissed him and then returned the kiss after walking into her room. He then looked around and smiled before looking back at her. "It's nice," he said with a grin before looking around the room once more. "Well, I think your father said to hurry," he said quietly, hoping they weren't in too much danger. But then it hit him and he suddenly remembered and figured out why they were in that danger. Dray had given himself away. Now he knew that the Death Eaters would be here shortly, but he didn't want to worry Wenny. "So, I think we better listen to him," he said with a small smile.

Wenny nodded, "yeah, ok." She began gathering some of her things such as clothes, drawings, pictures, and a few other things that she didn't want to leave behind. Though, she wasn't entirely sure how "behind" she would be leaving the rest. They were going to be coming back here eventually, weren't they?

Once the trunk was full, she did a quick shrinking charm on it and put it in her pocket. "Ok, well...I guess that's it. He said for us to apparate to Diagon, so I guess we should go ahead," she said, still not completely understanding the situation. She took Carl's hand again and closed her eyes, concentrating on Diagon Alley.

Carl nodded and held onto Wenny's hand. After a moment, he closed his eyes and felt the whirling sensation. He opened his eyes again and saw that they were in Diagon Alley. It was dark, so there weren't many people bustling around on the streets like usual. He looked around for a moment before leading them to the joke shop to meet Wenny's father as they had been told to.

As they walked to the joke shop, Wenny glanced around nervously. She couldn't help but be a bit paranoid because of what they had been through and were still going through. Especially since her father had acted so strange once they had arrived at their home. She remembered the last time they were in Diagon and looked over at Carl, "I wonder if he's taking us back to Grimmauld Place?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said quietly. He wished he did though. He knew that Dray needed to get somewhere safe now that the Death Eaters knew about him and Wenny. They reached the joke shop and Carl began to look around for any sign of Dray. He was beginning to get anxious, wondering what Dray was planning.

Dray had been waiting for them to arrive, watching for them from one of the front windows. He had already talked to some of the Order members about what happened, as they would all need protection now. As soon as he saw them walk in, he walked over to them, "follow me." He started walking to the back of the shop.

Wenny noticed how worried her father looked, and glanced over to Carl as they followed Dray to the back of the store.

Carl looked at Wenny a little nervously. He began wondering if where they were going and how long they were going to be staying there. He couldn't help but think it. He looked back at Dray and watched him for awhile, realizing how anxious he looked. But he knew why and couldn't exactly blame him.

Dray walked to the back of the shop and then turned to Wenny and Carl and saw how nervous they seemed, though he didn't blame them, he was nervous himself. "I'm sure you guys know what the Order is, as I was told that you've been to the headquarters before. That's where we're going for a while," he answered quickly, not wanting to spend any more time in the shop as necessary.

"You're going to be staying there with us?," Wenny asked, watching him closely.

"Yes, but I'll explain once we're there," he said, grabbing their hands and quickly apparating them to Grimmauld Place. Within seconds, Number 12 Grimmauld Place appeared before them and Dray quickly opened the door, motioning for them to enter. 


	38. Talk With The Father

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Talk With The Father**

Carl entered the house, still holding Wenny's hand. He looked around, the house seeming different than the last time they were there. He thought that it was probably because they had just been through worse than last time. Then he saw Mrs. Weasley, not surprised to see her bustling towards them as usual.

"Oh, dears, please hurry and come inside," Mrs Weasley said once she reached them. She closed the door once they were all inside. "Is there anything I get can get you? I'm sure you must be thirsty or in need of some chocolate," she said, knowing what had happened to them since Dray had already briefed them.

Wenny couldn't help but smile at Mrs. Weasley. Since they had returned to Hogwarts, she had almost forgotten all about their first stay here and Mrs. Weasley's motherly ways. Though, there were some things about their stay that she definitely remembered. With that thought, she blushed a little and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before answering Mrs. Weasley, "I'm fine. Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Seeing Mrs. Weasley tending to Wenny and Carl, Dray walked on through the house, looking for the other Order members.

Carl glanced over at Wenny and saw her blush and couldn't help but grin as he looked back at Mrs. Weasley. "I think we're ok, Mrs. Weasley. But I think we're both kind of tired," he said. He didn't know about Wenny, but he could use a lie down after everything they had just been through.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Very well," she said. She pulled out two chocolate frogs and handed them to Carl and Wenny. "Well, you two can stay in the same rooms as last time you were here. I must go back to tend to the Order members," she said with a smile before turning and heading back the way she came.

Wenny laughed a little at being given a chocolate frog. She couldn't help but find it a bit ironic, given that this entire situation had happened because she had wanted to go to Hogsmeade for chocolate frogs. "Well, I guess we can go see if our rooms have changed at all," she said with a slight grin. She wanted to stay with Carl, of course, but it would be rather odd seeing as her father was now staying in the headquarters as well.

Carl smiled and nodded as he put his chocolate frog in his pocket and then took Wenny's hand again and started walking towards the stairs. They made their way up to their rooms and then he turned to Wenny. "So, I guess we should get a little sleep," he said, although he really didn't want to sleep alone. But he knew that Dray was just downstairs and he wasn't sure Wenny would feel very comfortable.

"Yeah, we should," she answered quietly, as they reached the upstairs hallway. She glanced back towards the stairs, trying to decide what to do. "I really want to stay with you, but...," she started, figuring he knew what the 'but' was. What would her father do if he happened to find them together? Even if they were merely napping?

"Wenny, I think he has bigger problems to worry about right now. Plus, after what we both went through, I would hope he would realize that we both need to feel safe," he told her. Although, he wasn't sure if Dray would actually be like that towards the situation. He sighed, not wanting Wenny to feel pressured, and kissed her on her cheek. "Good night, Wenny," he said softly as he turned to the door to his room.

Wenny watched Carl turn to his door, "wait." Maybe he was right, her father probably did have bigger things to worry about. But he was still her father. Though, on the other hand, after all they had been through in the past few hours, she really didn't feel like being alone. After a few moments of weighing her options, Wenny stepped over to him and took his hand, giving him a small smile.

He smiled at her and held onto her hand as he opened the door and walked in with Wenny and closed the door behind them. He walked over to the bed and sat down with her, putting his arms around her. He just wanted to hold her right now.

Wenny closed her eyes as she put her arms around Carl. "I never want to see you crucio'ed again," she said quietly. It had been absolutely gut-wrenching seeing him being tortured. At least they had made it out alive, though. She couldn't imagine what it would've done to her to see him killed, but that wasn't something she wanted to think about at the moment. Or ever.

"You know, it wasn't exactly a picnic watching you get tortured either, Wenny," Carl said quietly. He knew that he would rather get crucio'ed himself than to watch it being done to her, but he knew Wenny didn't like seeing it done to him either. It seemed that whoever was getting tortured, the other was getting tortured more by having to watch it.

She nodded, "Well, hopefully, neither of us will be crucio'ed again for a long, long time...if ever." Though, she wasn't dumb enough to think they would be that lucky. She knew they were still in a lot of danger, even more so now than they had been before, most likely.

Carl nodded as he stroked her hair gently. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said softly. "I wish there was something I could do to make this all go away," he said sadly as he closed his eyes. There were still moments when he felt guilty for having gotten her in this situation.

Wenny quickly shook her head, "don't apologize, Carl. And I wish I could make it go away as well, but neither one of us really has any control over it." She hoped the Order would, though. It all had to come to an end somehow, right? And preferably soon, as she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

He sighed as continued to keep his eyes closed. "I love you, Wenny," he said softly. He felt his eyelids getting heavy and his body was still sore, so he laid back on the bed.

Wenny watched him for a few moments before lying down beside him and closing her eyes, her hand resting on his chest. "I love you, too, Carl." She wasn't sure if she'd actually be able to sleep, but she knew she had to try. And as long as she had Carl there with her, she knew there was a greater chance of success.

Carl held her as he closed his eyes again. He was extremely tired, but wasn't too sure he would be able to fall asleep, so he just laid there for a few moments stroking her hair.

She had almost fallen asleep when she heard a knock at the door. Before either one of them could get up to answer it, the door opened and in stepped Dray, "Enidwen. Your room. Now."

Wenny quickly sat up and looked at her father, "But we're just sleeping."

"Regardless, what kind of father would I be if I let my teenage daughter sleep in the same bed as her boyfriend?," he asked seriously.

Wenny rolled her eyes and stood up, looking over at Carl with an _I'm sorry_ expression on her face. "Fine," she said to her father before leaving the room.

Dray walked closer to Carl and just looked at him for a moment.

Carl sat up quickly and looked at Dray for a moment before turning to Wenny. He watched her leave and then looked back to Dray and felt a knot in his throat. "Mr. Gytha, it's my fault," he said quickly, standing up.

Dray shook his head, "No, I understand. You guys weren't doing anything," he began, though he had wanted to add _'yet'_, "and with all you've been through today, I imagine that you just want to be together for a while. However, she's still my daughter and she's still just a young girl. So you better behave." He gave Carl _the look._

After a moment, he sighed and walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, "but that isn't why I came up here. If you're as smart as I think you are, I'm sure you've figured out why we're here."

Carl shifted his feet a little, but kept eye contact when Dray gave him that look, and nodded his head. He watched him sit down and then sat back down on the bed himself. He nodded again. "Yes, sir," he said quietly, glancing down at the ground and then looked quickly back up at Dray. He had so many questions, but decided to keep quiet and see if the answers would be answered first.

"As I'm sure you're aware, I saw you as you came down the stairs and when Rabastan followed you...he and I had a little duel," Dray began. He decided not to mention that he had been crucio'ed, as he didn't want to worry them any more than he absolutely had to, "well, since I fought him, he obviously knows Enidwen is my daughter and that I was a spy. So I'm sure they are going to be after all of us now," he said, watching Carl closely.

Wenny was in her room, a bit upset at her father. She and Carl hadn't been doing anything and with everything they had been through, she had just wanted to be with Carl. Why was he treating her like she was five years old!? She collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a while. There was no way she was going to be able to go to sleep like this.

Carl nodded his head slowly and looked down at the ground for a few moments before looking back up at Dray. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, sir. But I wanted to get Wenny safe," he said quietly. "We are safe here, right?" he asked him.

Dray nodded, "yes, we're safe here. Unfortunately, we can't exactly set up permanent residence here and hide away forever. You two are going to have to go back to school soon." He would most likely stay at the Headquarters and assist the other Order members with their plans of attack on Voldemort and his followers. "And I appreciate that, Carl. I _always_ want you to look out for Enidwen before you even think about helping me, if another situation such as that one ever occurs again, alright?"

Carl nodded slowly and looked back down at the ground. He hoped that another situation like that wouldn't occur, but he knew it most likely would with the Death Eaters after all of them now. He began wondering about Snape. After a moment, he looked back up. "Sir, Professor Snape told me that you were a Death Eater. If he's a spy like you, how come he didn't know?" he asked him.

"Well, just as Voldemort keeps most of his followers unknown from the others, Dumbledore thought it would be smart to keep the spies unknown from each other as well. For instance, if Severus happened to be revealed as a spy and Voldemort attempted legilimency on him, we wouldn't want Voldemort finding out that I was also a spy. Understand?," Dray explained.

Carl nodded his head again, feeling a little better. He watched Dray for awhile. This wasn't what he expected from Wenny's father, the one she had told him about. Maybe he just needed his own daughter being tortured to open his eyes, which was a little sad, in Carl's opinion. But he was glad that they had each other now. He looked back down at the ground. He'd never had that with Rabastan and didn't expect to have it with Snape.

Dray noticed Carl's expression and sat there watching him for a moment. "Carl, is something else bothering you?," he asked. Dray knew that he had made a lot of mistakes regarding the way he had treated his daughter in past years, and he was going to try to make it up to her. And if that meant being a mentor, confidante, or whatever else to her boyfriend, then he'd do it. Then he realized he didn't really know much about Carl. He really didn't know that much about Wenny either, actually, which was a rather sad thought.

Carl looked back up at Dray and shook his head a little quickly. "No, Sir," he said. He really shouldn't even be bothered with that, given everything else that was going on, he thought. He had Wenny, and that should be enough. And the thought of Wenny made him wonder if he would be able to see her again that night, because he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without her.

Dray nodded slowly, "ok. By the way, may I ask which house you are in?" He wondered if Wenny had told Carl about everything that had happened years ago when Wenny had been sorted into Hufflepuff. Surely she had, so he added "not that it matters, of course."

Carl wondered for a few moments what him being in Slytherin would make Dray think. Sure, Dray had been in Slytherin and had been disappointed when Wenny wasn't, but that had made a little more sense to Carl when he thought Dray was a Death Eater. Then again, Snape had been in Slytherin as well. He sighed before answering. "Slytherin, Sir," he said, watching him for his reaction.

Dray grinned. He was tempted to make a comment about there being hope for Wenny yet, but given what he was sure Wenny had told Carl, he thought it would probably be taken the wrong way.

"As I'm sure you know, that was my house," he said, then looked away for a moment and sighed. "Carl, I'm sure Enidwen has told you about...about what happened between us when she wasn't put into Slytherin and well, all I can say is that I was foolish back then. I've changed a lot in the past couple of years. Though, unfortunately, with Enidwen being at school most of the year and then her always being out of the house during the summer, she hasn't really noticed it. Though, I hope she's noticed it today at least."

Carl nodded, not really knowing what to say to that, or what to say at all really. He just continued to watch Dray for a moment and then looked down at the ground, thinking back to when he had first seen Dray in the room earlier that day. Carl had been nervous and asked him if he was there to meet the boyfriend or otherwise. He had to grin at the thought thought.

"Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night," Dray said as he stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll talk to Dumbledore tomorrow about when you guys can return to school safely. Until then, just take it easy and try to get your strength back. I can only imagine what you two went through today." And with that, Dray left the room, closing the door quietly behind him and walked back downstairs to talk to the other Order members for a few minutes before retreating to his room.

Carl watched as Dray left. He wished he had said something about letting him see Wenny, but since he hadn't, Carl just sighed as he laid back on his bed. He didn't want to get her into trouble again, so he tried his best to fall asleep, but knew it wouldn't help.

Wenny had been lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened that day, for what felt like hours. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed sleep and there was only one way she'd be able to get it. She got up and walked out into the hallway and quietly knocked on Carl's door. She figured that if her father was still in there, she could simply say that she had come to say goodnight. It was a foolproof plan. Or so she thought.

Carl went to the door and opened it and smiled when he saw Wenny. Then he frowned a little. "Wenny, what if your father catches you again?" he asked her quickly.

"Oh, well...ok then, I'll just go back to my room," she said with a slight pout, which quickly turned into a slight grin, as she turned to walk back across to her room.

He grinned as he watched her for a moment, thinking. He really didn't want them to be caught again, but he wanted to be with Wenny more. He grabbed her arm and turned her around towards him again. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a smile.

"Back to my room. We wouldn't want to get in trouble with 'Daddy'," she answered, trying not to grin. She didn't want to get caught in Carl's room again, but it wasn't as if she was planning on doing anything. She just couldn't sleep without him. Especially after the events of the day. She really didn't want to be alone.

Carl smiled at her for a moment before taking her hand and taking them both inside his room, closing the door behind them. He didn't even want to think of what Dray would do if he caught them again, and he certainly didn't want Wenny in any more trouble, but he couldn't spend the night right after both of them had been tortured without her.

"Thank you," she said with a playful grin as they walked in the room. After Carl had closed the door, she turned to him. "Speaking of Daddy Dearest, he wasn't too hard on you earlier, was he?" She could only imagine what he might've said to Carl after finding them together. Even though they hadn't been doing anything.

He smiled and shook his head. "No, he wasn't," he said, putting his hand gently on her cheek, watching her for a moment before putting his other arm around her and pulling her into a hug. "You don't have to stay here, you know," he said quietly. He knew she would probably want to, but he wanted her to know that if she was afraid of them getting caught again, he wasn't going to ask her to stay.

"You're too sweet. But yes, I do have to. I can't sleep without you," she said with a slight grin. "Besides, I'm not afraid of him. He has a lot to make up for," she added. She knew that letting her sleep in the same room with her boyfriend wouldn't really be something her father would do to make up for lost time with her, but to be honest, she really didn't care at the moment. "But, if you'd rather not risk it, then I will go back to my room...?," she asked, suddenly unsure of whether _he_ was afraid of her father.

Carl watched her carefully for awhile before smiling slightly at her and taking her hand again and walking over to the bed. Having Wenny's father catch them in the same bed together, even if they weren't doing anything had been worse than when Snape had caught them. And that was saying something. Although, it had been his girlfriend's father, so it was a bit more awkward to him. He really didn't want to think about fathers at the moment, though. Had Snape known that they had been captured by the Death Eaters? Had he been there? He didn't care to think of it.

Wenny put her arms around Carl and just stood there holding him for a few minutes. She couldn't believe it had been a mere few hours earlier that they had been thinking they were going to be murdered. She had never been so scared in her entire life. Not even when they had been attacked by Death Eaters the previous week. At least then, they had been out in the open, rather than locked inside Death Eater Headquarters.

He put his arms around her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and the put his hand on the back of her head and held it against his chest. He didn't want to think about that day, or anything else for that matter. He just wanted to be here with Wenny and not worry about anything. They were safe for now, and he just wanted to relax, if that was possible.

Wenny closed her eyes as she stood there with Carl, her head resting against Carl's chest. She loved being this close to him, listening to his heart beat, and feeling his arms around her. She felt safe and loved and like everything was going to be ok. If they could sleep standing up, she would've stayed just like that all night. Unfortunately, she was exhausted and she figured Carl had to be as well, so she pulled away from him and laid down on the bed, motioning for him to join her.

Carl smiled at her before walking over to the bed and laying down beside her, just looking at her for a moment. "Are you ok?" he asked, because he was still sore and his body still ached. Though, as long as he was there with Wenny and got some sleep, he'd be ok. He just didn't want Wenny to feel like that.

"Well, I've had better days," she said with a quiet laugh. She had only been stupefied twice and cruio'ed at least twice, not to mention slapped a few times and then that guy...kissing her. Which was something she didn't want to think about. She would much rather remember the pain of the cruciatus than to remember _that._ "How about you?," she asked, reaching up to tuck some of his hair behind his ear.

He smiled slightly at her as he reached up and took her hand in his. "I'll be fine," he told her with a smile. He put his other arm around her and kissed her cheek, still holding her hand, playing with her fingers a little. He didn't want to think about anything now except being here with Wenny, and then sleeping.

"Yeah, me too. At least we're out of that horrible place," she said, looking at their hands and then back to him. After a moment, she grinned, "ya know, I can't stop thinking about the last time we were here."

Carl returned her grin. "You know, I hardly remember it," he said, with a smirk on his face as he continued to watch Wenny. Of course he remembered it. How could he not?

Wenny playfully hit him, "liar. ...Or at least you better be lying." She grinned at him again, knowing that he had just been teasing her. This house held a lot of memories for them. Ones she wouldn't soon forget.

He looked hurt. "That hurts, Wenny. How could you call me a liar?" he asked, his mouth slowly forming a grin. "Of course I was lying," he said with a smile as he held her a little closer to him and kissed her cheek again.

Wenny laughed quietly again, "good." She watched him for a few moments, thinking about everything. How much she loved him. Everything they had been through and were still going through. The memories this house held. "Well, I guess we should try to get some sleep," she said quietly.

Carl smiled and nodded his head a little. "Yeah, we should," he said with a small yawn. He looked at her for a few moments before he started to close his eyes. "I love you, Wenny," he told her quietly.

"Awww, you're so sweet," she said with a small grin, "I love you, too. So much." She yawned and moved a little so that she could put her head against his chest, then wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. "Goodnight."

Carl put his other arm around her as he continued to keep his eyes closed, a small smile still lingering on his lips. "Goodnight," he said quietly as he felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep.

With all the thoughts going around in her mind, it took Wenny a little while to actually fall asleep, but she eventually did.


	39. The Standoff

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Standoff**

Normally, it would've taken Wenny ages to wake up. This time, however, she woke up fairly early and fairly quickly. Perhaps it was the thought that she didn't want them to be caught again. But as soon as she saw that Carl was still sleeping, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't want to wake him up yet, so she just lied there watching him sleep for a few minutes.

Carl could feel himself slowly waking up, but he wanted to go back to sleep. He kept his eyes close and tried to, but he felt someone watching him, so he quickly opened his eyes and was a little surprised to see Wenny watching him. "What are you looking at?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"You. My sweet, gorgeous angel. Awwww," she said, laughing. She knew it was corny, but she was feeling a lot better after having gotten some sleep. "You look so sweet when you're sleeping."

He couldn't help but laugh a little, turning slightly pink. "And _you_ are _adorable,_" he said with a grin as he kissed her nose. Then he looked around the room. "What time is it?" he asked, trying to hide his worry of being caught again. It seemed he was more worried about that when it was Wenny's father.

"Why, thank you," Wenny replied, with another small laugh. "Oh, um, I don't know...," she added, looking around, "I think it's early, though." She knew what he was worried about and she was a bit worried about it as well, but she still didn't want to move from that spot. Not yet.

"Maybe we should go downstairs?" Carl suggested, sitting up a little. Why was he so worried all of a sudden? He was usually the one to tell Wenny not to worry so much. He had to keep reminding himself that it was because of it being her father.

"Awww, if we must," she said with a little pout. Even though she found it disappointing, she thought it was rather cute the way he was so worried about getting caught. She sat up, yawning, "I guess you're right, we should. Besides, I'm starving."

Carl nodded as he sat up and yawned. He shook his hair out of his face and then smiled slightly at Wenny. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically. He was feeling a little guilty with feeling so worried all of a sudden, like he was disappointing her.

Wenny looked at him and gently touched his cheek. "Please don't apologize, Carl. You're right, we don't need to be caught together. And I think it's sweet that you're worried," she said with a slight smile which slowly turned into a grin, "we'll just have to hope they let us go back to Hogwarts _soon."_

Carl smiled and nodded his head slowly. "Alright," he said. "Although," he began slowly as he raised an eyebrow, "now that it's morning, we could just say that we just woke up and wanted to see each other." He grinned as he put his hand on her cheek, tucking a small strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I like the way you think," Wenny said, grinning, as she leaned over and kissed him. She was so tempted to just stay with him in this room all day, but she knew they would have to at least make an appearance sometime.

He smiled at her and returned the kiss. Then he smirked and kissed her jaw a couple of times before kissing down her neck. He knew they wouldn't be able to stay in there long, because if they got caught, he especially wouldn't want to get caught like _this._ But he thought Wenny could use something to start off the day in a good mood.

When she felt his kisses on her neck, Wenny laughed. "You are definitely not making it easy to leave this room," she said, closing her eyes.

Carl laughed and continued to kiss her neck for a few more minutes before pulling back and grinning at her. "Ready?" he asked her with a smirk on his face.

Wenny kept her eyes closed and shook her head, "nuh uh." Then laughed and looked at him, "but I guess I don't have a choice, do I? Come on." She stood up, grabbing his hand to pull him up. As soon as she had pulled him up, she kissed him rather passionately for a few moments before smirking at him and turning for the door.

Carl watched her for a moment, smiling. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "I wasn't ready for that one," he said with a slight smirk before kissing her just as deeply. Then he pulled away, grinning. "Now we can go," he said with a smile as he started walking towards the door.

"Excuse you," she said, as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back, "I thought I said something once about _me_ getting the last kiss?" She laughed and kissed him once more before quickly opening the door, hoping that would keep him from kissing her again. Not that she didn't _want_ him to kiss her again.

Carl narrowed his eyes playfully at her. "I'll let you have this one," he told her with a grin. After all, he had gotten the last kiss the last time. "But you better watch out next time," he said, grinning at her as he took her hand and walked out of the room.

Wenny laughed as they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. As expected, Mrs. Weasley was busy preparing breakfast and a few Order members were sitting around the table, probably talking about the events of yesterday. "Good morning," Wenny said, to let them know they were now in the room.

Dray had been quietly talking to Remus, but turned when he heard Wenny. "Good morning," he said, giving her a small, tired smile. He looked over at Carl and nodded once in greeting.

Wenny thought it looked as if her father hadn't slept all night. She looked at Carl with a curious expression.

Carl returned the nod to Dray and then shrugged at the expression Wenny gave him. He knew why Dray would look at least stressed, but he thought he should at least have tried to get some sleep. He went and sat down at the table with Wenny, taking his hand from hers and running it through his hair. Being around Wenny's father made him a little nervous.

Mrs. Weasley bustled about the kitchen for a few minutes before putting plates infront of Carl and Wenny with toast and eggs. "I'm sure you're both hungry," she said and then walked over to the counter and got two butterbeers and put them down next to the plates.

Wenny noticed Carl's sudden nervousness and grinned to herself. "He's not going to get angry about you holding my hand, you know," she said quietly, looking over at him.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," she said with a smile. She started eating a litte of her breakfast. They hadn't eaten much the previous day, so she was rather hungry.

Dray went back to talking to Remus, but they were keeping their voices low enough that Wenny couldn't make out what they were talking about.

Carl grinned over at Wenny before beginning to eat some of the food that Mrs. Weasley put infront of him. He took a sip of butterbeer and then looked over at Dray and Remus, wondering what they were saying. He was fairly positive of what they were talking about though. He went back to his food, realizing how hungry he was.

Wenny continued eating her breakfast and straining to hear any of the conversation going on at the other end of the table. She knew it had to be about the events of the previous day, which meant that it involved her and she hated feeling like things were being kept from her. She wasn't in the mood to get her father upset at her, though, especially since it looked as though he was working on very little sleep, so she didn't say anything.

After a few minutes, Dray looked over at Wenny and Carl. "Dumbledore thinks it's best that you two stay here for at least a couple of days. We need to try to figure out how desperate the Death Eaters are to find us all before any of us leave this house and that's going to take a couple of days, since Severus has classes at Hogwarts. He'll have to wait until the next DE meeting."

Carl nodded his head at Dray. "Will you be staying too, Sir?" he asked curiously. Dray had said that it's best if the two of them stay there. So where was he going to be going? Surely, it wouldn't be safe to go out too much after what had happened yesterday. He ignored the mention of Snape, not wanting to ask himself all those questions again.

Mrs. Weasley continued to walk around the kitchen for a few more moments and then sat down at the table, looking exhausted. Carl thought she needed a break from all of this.

Dray sighed, "I'll be staying here most of the time, but there are a few things that I'll be helping with outside of this place." He didn't want to go into much detail and worry Carl and Wenny. Wenny especially.

Wenny was sitting there, listening intently to the two guys. So they were going to miss even more school. How was she supposed to pass her O.W.L.s like this? Not until after she finished that thought did she realize how stupid it was. Who cared about O.W.L.s when they were still running for their lives?

Carl nodded his head again and then looked down at his plate, finding that he was unable to eat any more. He was curious as to what Dray would be doing, but decided not to press for answers. He finished his butterbeer and then pushed his plate just a little away from him, then looked over at Mrs. Weasley. Maybe they could help her around this place, he thought. She looked like she could really use the help.

Seeing that the conversation between her father and Carl seemed to be over, as her father was now talking to Remus again, Wenny finished off her breakfast. "Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Weasley," she said politely, looking over at the lady with a smile. She then turned to Carl, "Well, I guess that means we're stuck here for a few days."

Carl nodded as he continued to look at Mrs. Weasley. He turned to Wenny and smiled before standing up and picking up both of their plates and taking them to the sink, beginning to wash them.

Mrs. Weasley stood up. "Oh, dear, you don't have to do that. That's what I'm here for," she said with a weary smile, trying to move Carl away from the sink.

Carl turned to Mrs. Weasley with a smile. "I wouldn't hear of it, Mrs. Weasley. Please sit back down. You look like you could use a break," he said politely.

Wenny watched Carl and had to smile at how considerate he was being. Following his lead, she took the plates from infront of the others who had finished eating and walked over to Carl. "Well, aren't you being a sweetie?," she asked with a slight grin. She wanted to kiss him for it, but considering where they were at the moment, that would have to wait.

Mrs. Weasley sighed and then smiled as she sat back down. "I very much appreciate that," she said.

Carl smiled at Wenny, feeling his cheeks turn slightly pink. He took the plates from her and washed them, too. He figured since they were going to be staying there a couple more days, he might as well try to help out as much as he could.

Wenny saw his cheeks turn pink, so she reached over and pinched one of them and laughed, "Awwww...you are such a Hufflepuff." She grinned at him and then grabbed a dishrag and went to wipe off the table.

Carl glared playfully at her as he watched her walk over to the table. He'd have to get her back for pinching his cheek, he thought, as he turned back to the dishes and started to dry them off and put them back up in the cabinets.

In Wenny's opinion, the day was off to a fairly great start, and so she was in a rather cheerful mood. She was trying not to think about their situation, and just use the day to try to relax. She wiped off the table, occasionally glancing back towards the sink and grinning, and then straightened up a few things around the kitchen. When she was finished, she walked back over to Carl, "are you finished yet?"

He put the last of the dishes in the cabinet and then smiled at Wenny and nodded. "Yup," he said with a grin. He glanced over at Dray and Remus and wished that him and Wenny were back in the Room so he could 'get her back.'

Wenny noticed Carl glance over at her father and she glanced over at them, too, then turned back to him. "Sooo...what do you think we could do to waste some time this morning?," she asked quietly, grinning. She knew he was rather nervous with her father being in the same house with them, so she couldn't help but tease him.

Carl glared at her playfully. "Actually," he started. "I'm still rather tired. You see, I didn't sleep all that well," he said, trying not to smile. "So I think I'll just go on upstairs and try to get some more sleep," he said, covering a big yawn with his hand. "Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Weasley," he said before turning to go upstairs.

"Oh, right," Wenny said, rolling her eyes and laughing. She glanced over to make sure her father was still busy talking to Remus and that Mrs. Weasley wasn't looking in their direction, then grabbed Carl's arm and pulled him back and kissed him. After a moment, she grinned, "then I guess I'll see you this afternoon. Sleep well." She turned back towards the sink and pretended to start wiping off the counters.

Carl had closed his eyes during the kiss, and when Wenny pulled away, he was afraid to open his eyes again. He slowly did and looked around the kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief after seeing that it looked as though no one saw. Now he knew how Wenny had always felt about being caught. It had always worried him a little, but now it was worse. Much worse. He sighed and smiled at her, shaking his head a little as he turned to the stairs and started up them towards his room. He knew Wenny knew he wasn't going to be going back to sleep, at least he hoped. He still had to get her back for pinching his cheek.

Wenny laughed at his reaction and continued wiping off the counters for a few minutes before tossing the rag in the sink and walking over to Mrs. Weasley. "I think everything has been done for now, but we'll both help you again at lunchtime. I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap, as I didn't really sleep well last night," she said before heading upstairs. Yes, she had just lied to Mrs. Weasley, but she had wanted to make sure they wouldn't think anything of her being upstairs all morning.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Thank you, dear," she said as she stood up waited until Wenny was upstairs until she brought out the broom and started sweeping. Maybe she needed something to preoccupy herself so she wouldn't always have to be worrying about Arthur and her children.

Carl went into his room and laid down on his bed, his hands behind his head as he looked up at his ceiling. He thought it had been a rather good morning for the day after they went through hell.

Wenny walked up the stairs and into the hallway where their rooms where. She was tempted to go into her own room and make Carl come get her, but she didn't want to be away from him any longer than necessary. So she walked over to his door and quietly knocked, glancing towards the stairs just incase someone happened to come up them while she was there.

Carl quickly jumped off of the bed and walked over to the door and opened it and quickly pulled Wenny inside. He closed the door and then turned back to Wenny and started tickling her sides. "Pinch my cheeks, huh?" he said with a grin as he continued to tickle her, pushing her back towards the bed.

Wenny laughed, trying to escape the tickling. "Carl! It was just one little pinch," she said, still laughing, though trying not to laugh too loud.

"One little pinch, huh?" he asked as he laughed a little and then pushed her down on the bed, still tickling her. She was so cute when she was laughing, he thought.

"Yes, one little pinch!," she answered, still laughing and now trying to grab his hands to stop the tickling. "I won't do it again, I promise!"

Carl stopped and then put on a thinking face for a moment. "Well, I guess if you promise..." he said, trailing off. Then he started tickling her again. "I just can't help it," he said grinning. "You're so cute when you laugh."

"Carl!," Wenny exclaimed, still laughing and trying to grab his hands...which she finally was able to do. "Please stop?," she asked grinning, though a bit out of breath from laughing so much, "And thank you." She then pulled him down beside her and grinned.

Carl smiled as he propped himself up to look at her. "Alright, I'll stop," he said slowly. "For now," he added with a smirk as he watched her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He smiled at her, thinking of how much he loved her and how beautiful she was.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes and smirked, "well, if you tickle me again, I'll have to pinch you again." She watched him for a moment. "What are you thinking about?," she asked as she reached over and touched his cheek, having noticed how quickly his expression had changed.

Carl glared playfully at her for a moment before smiling. "I'm just thinking about how much I love you and how incredibly beautiful you are," he said. He glanced down at her hand on his cheek and then looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

Wenny could feel her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink at Carl's answer, but tried to keep his attention off of that by teasing him. "Awwww, you're too sweet, you know that, right?," she asked and then laughed when she saw his eyebrow raise. "Don't worry, I'm not going to pinch you. Especially not after that comment." She grinned at him and then leaned over and kissed him, "I love you, too."

Carl grinned and returned the kiss. "So," he started after a moment. "We've got a couple of days here. What are we going to be doing?" he asked curiously with a smirk. He knew what he wanted to be doing.

"Hmmm...well, I thought I could ask Mrs. Weasley to teach me how to cook a few things. That way, I wouldn't be stuck in these rooms the entire time," Wenny answered with a smirk of her own.

"Really?" Carl said, raising his eyebrow again. "Well, you know, if you do that, I just might have to start tickling you again," he said with a grin as he put his hand on her waist.

"You wouldn't," Wenny said, playfully glaring at him as she put her hand on his. "But if you do, then I will just have to pinch you again," she added as she put her other hand on his cheek and grinned.

"Hmmm," Carl started, keeping his eyebrow raised, "a standoff, huh?" He grinned at her for a moment, "so let me get this straight. If I tickle you, you pinch me? Tough decision."

Wenny laughed, "Uh huh. So I suggest you make your choice wisely." She loved this, just being with him and goofing around like this. She loved _him._

Carl bit his lip, thinking hard. "Or," he started, reaching up with his other hand to took hers in his. He then held it tightly as he tickled her side again. "I could do that," he said with a smirk.

Wenny started laughing again and trying to wiggle herself away from his tickling, "Carl! That's not fair! Stop!" With her hand that had been on his, she tried pulling his hand away from her side. Between laughs, she said "If you don't stop, I'll go downstairs." Of course, she had no real intention of leaving the room.

Carl frowned and stopped tickling her. "Don't leave," he said sadly as he looked at her with a pouting face.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at his pouting. "Why shouldn't I?," she asked, pretending that whether or not she left depended on his answer.

Carl continued to frown as he leaned closer. "Because I love you," he said quietly in her ear, and then softly kissed her cheek before kissing down to her neck. "And because you wouldn't leave anyway," he said with a slight grin.

_Of course he would bring out the big guns to make her stay,_ Wenny thought as she giggled and turned her head to the side a little. She closed her eyes as she started enjoying his kiss. "And you know that how?," she asked playfully.

Carl stopped kissing her neck and laid his head back on the pillow. "Well, we could see right now," he said, hiding a smirk as he closed his eyes.

"You are something else, ya know that?," she asked, propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him.

He continued to keep his eyes closed and then pretended to snore, trying very hard not to let a smirk appear on his lips.

"Oh please!," Wenny said, rolling her eyes and laughing. She watched him for another moment, tempted to leave, just to prove that she could. But she really didn't want to. So instead, she leaned over him and kissed his neck lightly for a few moments before grinning and sitting up.

Carl couldn't help but let a smile show as she kissed him. Then he frowned and opened his eyes when she stopped. "Why'd you quit?" he asked with another pouting face.

"Well, because I don't want to disturb your nappy nap time," she said with a grin before she stood up, "see ya later." She started walking to the door slowly, glancing over her shoulder.

Carl began thinking, _Who won the last one?_ He couldn't remember, so he decided he'd stay there. He closed his eyes again. "See ya," he said with a smirk as he settled back into the pillows and pretended to snore again.

"Oh no you dittin'!," Wenny said, laughing as she went back over to him and kissed him rather passionately before moving down and kissing his neck. After a few moments, she stopped abruptly and stood back up. "There, now you can _sleep_ if you'd like," she said, walking back over to the door.

Carl sat up quickly, his eyes still closed for a moment. Then he opened them and stood up and walked over to Wenny and grabbed her arm. "Ok, you win," he said, pulling her back around to him and kissing her just as deeply.

She continued the kiss for a few moments before laughing and saying "thank you."

He glared playfully at her. "But you know what that means," he said with a grin as he kissed her again and walked over to the bed, still kissing her.

Wenny had to laugh again when she saw his glare. "Hmmm...no, I'm not sure I do...," she said, grinning and then kissed him again.

Carl smiled as he continued the kiss for a few moments and then laid back on the bed, pulling her down next to him.

She wanted to tease him about how bold he was being, considering how nervous he had seemed around her father that morning, but she was afraid that would make him stop. So instead, she kissed him once more and then said "so it means I have to take a nap with you?"

"No, silly," he said with a smirk as he watched her for a moment. And then he quickly started to tickle her again.

"Carl!," she said as she started laughing again, "this means war!" She reached over and pinched his cheek while still laughing and trying to get away from his tickling.

He stopped suddenly and let his jaw drop. "How could you!" he said, unable to hide his grin. Then he started tickling her again and trying to hold her hands at the same time.

Wenny giggled at his reaction, then gave a little yelp at him starting to tickle her again. "Carl! Please stop!?," she said, out of breath, but still laughing and trying to fight him.

"Oh come on, Wenny. I know you don't really want me to stop," Carl said, smiling as he continued to tickle her. After a moment, he stopped. "I guess you've had enough," he said with a slight smirk on his face.

She laid there, looking at him, trying to catch her breath, but still laughing a little. "Well, enough tickling, yes...," she said, grinning.

Carl smiled and then gently kissed her forehead. "You're so incredibly adorable," he said with a grin as he kissed one cheek and then the other and then kissed her lips.

"Awww, thank you...so are you," Wenny said with a grin as she kissed him again. "But I have a question...I thought you were sleepy?"

He laughed. "Don't even start," he said with a smirk. "You know right well I wasn't tired," he said as he kissed her lips again before softly kissing her neck.

Trying not to grin, she gasped slightly. "You mean you were faking it? I had no idea," she said between kisses. Then when she felt his kisses on her neck, she bit her bottom lip lightly.

Carl smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure," he said between soft kisses on her neck. He continued to kiss her neck for a few more moments, and then he kissed her lips gently again. 


	40. Cooking Lessons

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty: Cooking Lessons**

"You know, I think I really will go ask Mrs. Weasley for cooking lessons," Wenny said after a few minutes, "I mean, I don't think my future husband would appreciate my current lack of culinary skills. Whomever he may be." She was rather curious as to how Carl would react to that comment. She just hoped he wasn't freaked out, as she was only teasing.

Carl stared at her after hearing her comment. After a moment, he realized he hadn't blinked and his eyes had started to water. He quickly blinked his eyes. "Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "You have to be able to cook for him," he said as he shifted his eyes.

That hadn't been quite the reaction Wenny had been expecting, so now she wasn't quite sure what to say. She couldn't exactly say that she was hoping it would be _him,_ because what if that freaked him out? But if she said she had been kidding, she wasn't sure he would believe her. So she just watched him curiously for a moment, frowning slightly.

Carl saw her frown and smiled at her. He couldn't decide exactly what to do. He knew he could just start kissing her neck again and change the subject, but he wasn't sure he wanted to leave it just like that. "It's not like I haven't thought about it," he said with a slight smirk, hoping it wouldn't creep her out.

Now she felt bad, because she felt like she had pushed him to say something he didn't really want to say. She shook her head, "you don't have to say that. I'm sorry."

Carl softly kissed her on her lips. "Wenny, I love you so much," he said. He would have told her that he meant what he said, but he wasn't sure if he should. He sighed and then closed his eyes, unsure of what to do now.

Wenny watched him for a moment, then stood up. "I think I'm going to go back to my room for a while," she said quietly, walking to the door. She was on the verge of tears, but she didn't want him to see it. She felt so stupid for having said what she said, even though she had just been kidding around. But she was a teenage girl, after all. It was in their nature to think things like that. "I'm sorry," she said once more before going back to her room.

Carl sighed as he watched Wenny leave. "Idiot," he muttered, sitting up and hitting his head against the wall, a bit harder than he had meant to. He rubbed it for a moment, feeling his vision getting slightly blurred with tears. Why did he always have to say the wrong things in situations like that? He didn't want to just leave it like that, though. He felt that if things were awkward between them, he wouldn't be able to handle it. He got up and walked out into the hall and softly knocked on Wenny's door.

Wenny heard him knock on her door and she was tempted not to answer. She didn't want to hear him apologize when it wasn't his fault. It was hers. She waited a couple of minutes, trying to decide whether or not to answer. She finally blinked back her tears, took a deep breath, and then walked over and opened the door.

"Can we talk about this?" Carl asked as soon as she had opened the door. He saw that her eyes were a little watery which made his water even more. How could he have been so stupid? Though, weren't they too young to even be thinking about that yet?

"There's nothing to talk about," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes. After a moment, she looked at him, not sure what else to say. She had messed up. She knew it. And she felt horrible.

Carl nodded his head slowly. He thought talking about it would help, but he couldn't make her. "Then I guess I'll leave you to learn to cook for your _husband,"_ he muttered as he turned around to go back to his room. He knew he shouldn't have said it the moment he opened his mouth. He put his hand on the doorknob to open his door, but didn't open it. Instead, he put his head on the door and closed his eyes.

Wenny stood at her door, looking out at him rather shocked and hurt. "I said I was sorry!," she said, her voice quivering a bit, before going in her room and closing the door a little more forcefully than she had intended. The tears were falling before she even made it to the bed. She didn't even bother to wipe them away.

Carl stayed there for he didn't know how long, his head against the door. How could he have said that to her? His Wenny? The girl he loved? He felt himself crying now and he quickly wiped away the tears. He felt so weak when he cried and he hated it. But what he hated even more right now was that he had made Wenny cry. He very slowly turned the knob and opened the door and went inside, closing it silently behind him. He leaned against the door and then slid down to the ground, putting his head in his hands.

Wenny laid down on the bed on her stomach, crying into her pillow. Everything had been going so well and then she had to go and open her big mouth and ruin everything. It seemed like she was ruining a lot of things lately. She was still feeling rather guilty for everything that had happened the day before and now, with one stupid comment, she had turned Carl against her. If she wasn't terrified of being caught by the Death Eaters again, she would've ran away.

Carl decided he wasn't going to let it end like that. He stood up slowly, but determinedly, and went back out into the hall to stand outside Wenny's door. "Listen to me, Wenny," he said, hopefully loud enough so she could hear him. "I don't blame you if you don't want to talk to me right now. That's fine, but please at least listen. I'm sorry for what I said. I know that that's not enough, but I hope you can forgive me in time. I love you so much. And what I said earlier was the truth. I have thought about it, Wenny. And I know you were just joking, but that's the truth." He took a deep breath, trying not to let his emotions effect his voice. "Wenny, I don't know what I'd ever do if I lost you. I wouldn't be able to live. You're like my air. If you leave, I'll suffocate," he said. He had to leave because his vision was just too blurry now. "I love you and I always will," he said before turning back to his room and going inside and laying down on the bed, closing his eyes.

Wenny was still lying there when she heard Carl call out to her. Listening to him just made her cry more. She stayed there for a little while, trying to calm herself down and trying to figure out what to say to him, then finally got up, took a few deep breaths, and then walked cross the hall and quietly knocked on his door.

Carl got up off the bed and walked over to the door and opened it slowly. He saw Wenny and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry," he said, looking down at the ground. He was suprised that she was back here. He wouldn't have blamed her if she never talked to him again, although it would have broken his heart.

Wenny quickly shook her head, "don't apologize, Carl. It was my fault. I shouldn't have said what I said. I put you on the spot and I'm sorry."

"No, Wenny, don't beat yourself up like that. We both had a rough day yesterday...to say the least. And right now we need each other. But we can't have things being awkward between us," he said after looking back up at her.

"You're right, we can't," she agreed. But, she knew they were now and she still felt bad for it. But she figured since he had been honest with her, she should be honest with him. Things couldn't get any worse, so she might as well. "I've thought about it, too." She didn't want to say any more than that, though...and she knew that he knew that she had thought about it, since she had made that comment, but she hoped he would realize that she meant she had thought about it with _him_ and not just overall. And she knew they were young, but they had already been through more things together than most people go through in an entire lifetime.

Carl couldn't help but smile, glad that she hadn't been just joking about the entire thing, well at least like that. He reached out and took her hand and put it on his chest and held it there. "Then we'll say that we've both thought about it, that right now we're just too young to actually really talk about it, and that I love you more than you could possibly imagine," he said. He knew that that wouldn't completely clear the air, but he hoped that it would at least help.

Wenny nodded slowly, took a deep breath, and then said "ok." She just stood there watching him for a moment, then stepped closer and put her other arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I really am sorry, though," she said quietly.

He put both of his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Don't be sorry," he said quietly. "Please. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did," he told her as he held her. He still felt really bad for what he had said to her.

Well, his comment really had hurt her, but she knew he had every right to react that way. She had totally put him on the spot and then practically threw a temper tantrum because he hadn't reacted the way she expected. Though, she wasn't even completely sure how she had expected him to react. "Can we just pretend this never happened?" She figured that was a bit too much to hope for, though.

Carl shook his head slowly. "No," he said quietly. "Or at least I can't." Then again, he didn't really want to. Sure, the whole ordeal was upsetting because they had both gotten upset, but it was the first mention of that topic. Obviously, they were both too young, but who was to say that they wouldn't love each other well enough in the future? He couldn't, and wouldn't forget it. "I'll try," he said after a moment.

Wenny looked at him curiously. Had she messed up so badly that he wouldn't ever be able to forget about it? "Why not?" Since they had already gotten this far into the topic, it couldn't hurt to go ahead and talk about it, could it?

Carl couldn't help but smile a little bit. Since she was willing to ask him that, he might as well tell her. "Wenny, I love you. I will always love you. I'd marry you in a heartbeat. Just set the date and I'll be there," he said, smiling. But the smile didn't last long as he nervously waited to see her reaction.

Wenny was a bit surprised, to say the least, to hear him say _that,_ after all they had just said and done. "Really?," she asked, trying to steady her heart. It wasn't until she heard him say that, that she realized that _that_ was what she had been hoping for when she had made the joke that started all of the drama.

Carl smiled again at her reaction and nodded his head slowly. "Of course," he said quietly. "I'm crazy about you. I always will be," he added before kissing her deeply.

After a moment, Wenny quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. "Thank you," she said, now feeling a good bit better than she had five minutes ago. She wanted to say a lot more to him, but she was afraid her big mouth would ruin everything again.

His smile widened as he felt her close to him again. He sighed and closed his eyes as he put his hand on the back of her head. He was glad that that was over now, because he hated making her cry, or seeing her cry at all.

She kissed his cheek and then let go of him, but then reached down and took his hands in hers. "And just so you know, I'm crazy about you, too," she said with a shy smile.

Carl smiled at her. "Good," he said with a grin as he gave her a quick kiss on her nose.

Wenny wrinkled her nose and laughed as he kissed her nose. "So...now that we've gotten this whole thing settled for the most part, what should we do with the rest of our day?"

Carl shrugged slightly. "We could go ask Mrs. Weasley if she could give you some cooking lessons," he said, trying very hard to hide a grin, but failing miserably.

Wenny laughed out loud and playfully shoved him, "Carl!" She was glad he had said that, though. She needed a laugh. They both did. And she loved the way he teased her like this. "We really should, though. I mean, you do seem to like her cooking." Because of what had happened between them a few minutes ago, she couldn't help but be a little nervous of how he would take her comment.

He laughed as she shoved him and then smiled at her. "Sure! Mrs. Weasley's a great cook. I wouldn't mind having a wife who could cook like that," he said with a grin and then quickly turned his expression into a pout, looking at her with a face that said _don't get mad._

"Hmph. Well then I guess **I** should get started with the lessons, huh?," Wenny asked, smirking. If he could joke about it, so could she.

His smile came back wider than before and he nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I guess you should," he said, unable to wipe the grin off of his face.

She smiled and then kissed him before taking his hand and starting down the stairs. "You could learn, too," she said, glancing over at him with a smirk.

Carl sighed heavily and rolled his eyes as he held onto her hand going down the stairs. "Figures," he muttered, hiding a grin.

Wenny couldn't help but laugh a little at his reaction, "hey, ya never know, it might actually be fun." 


	41. Home Alone

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-One: Home Alone**

Wenny and Carl got down the stairs and walked into the kitchen area, looking for Mrs. Weasley. Wenny didn't see the lady anywhere near by, so she called out to her, "Mrs. Weasley?" She hadn't thought that maybe the lady might be busy.

Now that they were downstairs, Carl was thinking about Wenny's father again. He sighed, trying not to as he looked for Mrs. Weasley. "I wonder where she is," he said. He didn't see any of the members in the kitchen. "I wonder where they are when they're not in here," he said, looking around. He knew that they wouldn't just leave them there alone, so they must be _somewhere_.

Wenny looked around and shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe they have some secret meeting room or something?" She looked around for a few more minutes, then turned to him, "well, we could always go back upstairs and ask her when we come down for lunch?"

"Whatever you want," he said, smiling widely, stopping himself from calling her 'Mrs.' "You know, we're going to have to do something about my name," he said, referring to his last name of Lestrange. Would it be changed to Snape? He kind of shook at the thought, but anything would be better than his current one. And to Wenny, it probably seemed like that topic had come from almost nowhere.

"Oh yeah," she said, looking at him. She had no idea what had made him think of his name, but...he did have a point. Would he keep it Lestrange or change it to Snape? "Well, you could always take mine," she teased.

Carl couldn't help but laugh. "I could," he said slowly, eyeing her sideways. He laughed again and then turned to her and picked her up by the waist. He smiled at her and then walked over to the table and sat her down on it. "So," he started, kissing her softly. "We could always stay down here, but seeing as there's not much we can do...," he said, looking around the kitchen and then back at her.

Wenny laughed when Carl sat her on the table, "hmmm." She looked around and then back to him and returned the kiss. She wasn't about to bring her father into the conversation, but she didn't think it would be smart for them to be making out with her sitting on the table if he happened to walk in, as much as she would've liked to do so. "Well, there's not much we can do up there either, is there?," she said with a slight smirk.

He cocked his head slightly to one side and raised his eyebrow and shrugged slightly. "I guess that's a matter of perspective," he said with a grin, as he turned around and sat up on the table next to her. He yawned widely. "Like we could take a nap," he said tiredly and then glanced sideways at her, hiding a grin.

"Oh yeah, I did keep you from napping earlier, didn't I?," she asked, trying not to laugh. "Well, I guess it's decided then. We can go upstairs and go in our separate rooms so that you can get your beauty sleep."

"Yup," he said as he hopped off the table and then yawned again. "Well, I guess I'll see you at lunch," he said, walking towards the stairs. She had won last time, it was his turn, he thought with a grin as he began walking up the stairs.

Wenny laughed as she watched him start walking up the stairs. "So you're just gonna leave me down here all alone?," she asked, pouting.

Carl turned around quickly, a look of surprise on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to come with me?" he asked, still hiding the grin that was trying to appear on his face.

She playfully rolled her eyes and laughed, "Well, I did, but if you'd rather be alone, then please feel free to continue up the stairs."

He shrugged. "If you're sure," he said and then turned around and started back up the stairs. He didn't know how long he could go like this though, because he was already feeling a little sad that she hadn't come to him yet.

Wenny gave him a couple of seconds to continue up the stairs and then laughed, "you better come back down here and get me or you will be in big trouble, Mister."

Carl laughed and then ran back down the stairs and to her and picked her up off the table. "I'm sorry," he said with a smile and then started walking back towards the stairs.

"Thank you," she said playfully as she kissed him on the cheek. "Now, about that nap..." She smirked at him.

"What nap?" he asked, hiding his grin again as he slightly cocked his head and continued on up the stairs.

Wenny laughed and pretended to be frustrated, "the one you were about to take." As they walked up the stairs, she nuzzled his neck for a few seconds and then looked at him, grinning.

Carl laughed and then opened the door to his room. He sat her down on her feet on the ground and smiled at her. "Right, well, I guess I better take that nap now," he said, not able to hide his grin now.

"Right, well," she started, copying him, "I guess I better leave you to take that nap now." She had to fight not to laugh as she turned and started walking over to her room, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Thank you," he said, smiling as he turned to his room and went inside, closing the door softly behind him. "Five, four, three, two," he counted quietly to himself, waiting for her to come inside, at least he hoped she would.

Wenny saw him close the door and so she walked back over to it, but didn't open it or even knock. "That was rather rude, ya know," she said, loud enough to be sure he heard her, trying not to laugh.

Carl opened the door again. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic smile. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then closed the door again, grinning to himself.

When he closed the door the second time, Wenny laughed. "Ok then, I see how it is," she said, walking back over to her room and closing the door behind her. If he wanted to play that game, then she'd play along. But she wasn't giving in. At least not yet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said loud enough so she could hear him. He yawned loudly and then walked over to the bed and laid down, grinning.

Wenny heard him and rolled her eyes, though she had to laugh again. She walked over and sat down on the bed for a few minutes, wanting to make him sweat it. But, she hated being away from him, so it was just as hard on her as she hoped it was on him.

Carl sighed after a while of her not coming back. He knew it was only a matter of time until one of them gave in, but it was driving him crazy. He rolled over on his side, so that he could at least make it look like he was actually sleeping. A smirk appeared on his lips as he closed his eyes.

Wenny waited a few more minutes, hoping he would be the one to come get her, but when it appeared he wasn't going to, she finally got up and walked across the hall. She didn't even knock, she just walked in. And when she saw him lying there, she walked straight over to him and playfully shoved him, "please tell me you're not actually sleeping?"

Carl turned around, acting surprised as he rubbed his eyes and yawned again. "Why did you wake me up?" he asked, again, unable to hide the grin on his face. He took her arm and then pulled her down next to him on the bed.

She had to fight not to laugh when he pulled her down. "You're not funny," she said, pretending to be hurt. She playfully glared at him and started to get up.

He pulled her back on the bed and put his arms around her. "That hurts," he said with a frown. Then he smiled and held her tighter. "And you're not going anywhere," he said and then smirked before he began kissing her neck.

Wenny closed her eyes as he started kissing her neck. "You know, I really should push you away and tell you that you can't do this," she said, grinning.

Carl smirked as he continued kissing her neck softly. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked with a grin as he glanced at her.

She gave a low, throaty laugh that clearly said she didn't want to.

He laughed a little, but kept kissing her neck. "You don't think Mad-Eye's here, do you?" he asked with a slight smirk as he continued the kisses. He knew that would probably get to her.

Wenny pushed him away a bit and looked at him, "Carl! May I ask why you felt the need to mention him?," she asked.

Carl couldn't help but laugh as he laid his head back on the pillow. "I thought you were leaving," he said, raising an eyebrow. Then he looked at her and smiled. "Relax. I know for a fact that Moody is on business somewhere or rather," he said, thinking for a moment. He couldn't quite remember where it was that George had told him.

"Well, if that's really what you want," she said, sitting up on the side of the bed. "And still. I wouldn't be surprised if that eye could see for miles," she muttered, trying not to grin.

He grinned and then closed his eyes, settling himself on the pillow. "Well, I guess if you want to play it safe," he said as he opened one eye to look at her and smirked.

Wenny turned to look at him with a _'clearly, you must be joking'_ expression, "play it safe? Hmph. I don't think I've played _anything_ 'safe' since I met _you."_

Carl smiled and opened his eyes and pulled Wenny down next to him again. "Why don't we both just shut up and makeout?" he said, smirking and then feeling his cheeks turn slightly pink as he continued to smile at her.

Wenny laughed and looked at him a bit surprised, "well, that was rather hot." She put a hand on his cheek, "and look at you, you're blushing. How cute." She grinned and kissed him, "but yes, excellent idea."

He smiled and returned the kiss. "I couldn't help myself," he said with a slight smirk before deepening the kiss.

"That happens to the best of us," she said, grinning and kissing him again. After a few moments, she looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "Did you say something about not wanting to play it safe?" She wondered just how 'unsafe' he was willing to play it, with her father being in the same house.

Carl sighed heavily and laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, thinking. He was so nervous when it came to Wenny's father, and he knew that's what she was talking about. He opened his eyes quickly and looked at Wenny and smiled before kissing her deeply again.

Wenny watched him for a moment, noticing that he was still rather nervous, so she pulled back a little. "Well, we don't have to, if you'd rather not risk it," she said. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable and she _really_ didn't want to get them in trouble. But, then again, what could her father possibly do? They were stuck in this house, so it wasn't as if he'd be able to keep them apart.

He sighed again and kissed her one more time. "You worry too much," he said with a slight smirk as he laid back again. He appreciated her trying to make him feel less uncomfortable, but he would always feel like that if her father was anywhere near.

She grinned, "I do...but you looked pretty worried yourself just then." She snuggled up close to him, putting her arm through his and resting her cheek on his shoulder.

He gave her a small smile and then kissed her forehead. "You should know why," he said quietly as he rested his cheek against the side of her head.

"Yeah, I do," Wenny said with a sigh. Then she had a thought. Her father must have said something to him the previous evening that caused him to worry about this. She looked up at him again, "he said something to you, didn't he?"

Carl looked at her for a few moments. He really wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her that her father had given him _the look._ He shook his head slowly and smiled at her. "Nah, he didn't say anything to me. It was probably just the shock of him catching us in the same bed," he said with a small smile.

She watched him for a moment, trying to figure out whether or not he was telling the truth. "Hmph. Well, that's good, I guess," she said, resting her head on his shoulder again. "You really don't have to worry about him, though."

He raised his eyebrow and grinned a little. "I don't?" he asked her with interest. He thought that he did. He was never very good with parents, so he doubted he'd be any better with Wenny's.

"Well, what could he possibly do? Separate us? I'd like to see him try," she said with a slight grin. Maybe she was being a bit careless with the whole situation, but for some reason, she wasn't nearly as worried about her father as she had been with Mrs. Weasley and the others last time they were here. Maybe because she was more worried about disappointing them than disappointing her father, given everything that had happened between them.

Carl gave her a small smile and sighed. _He could do exactly that,_ he thought. He just didn't want to think about it so he put his arms around her and held her for a few moments.

"Wasn't it you who said something about relaxing?," she asked, closing her eyes and smiling slightly when she felt his arms around her. There was nothing she loved more than just being in his arms. "And wasn't it also you who said something about making out?" At this, she grinned and looked up at him.

He raised his eyebrow and cocked his head slightly to one side. "Well, I guess we could do that," he said with a smirk as he shook his hair out of his face and kissed her deeply for a few moments and then gave her a few little soft kisses on her neck before kissing her lips again.

Wenny giggled a little at him kissing her neck again and then tucked his hair behind his ears as she returned his kiss, leaving her hand on his neck. "There, that's better," she said, grinning, as she kissed him again.

Carl smiled against her lips as he continued the kiss. "I'm glad I can oblige," he said with a grin as he kept kissing her for another moment. 


	42. Just Talking

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Two: Just Talking**

Wenny laughed a little and then moved slightly so that she was leaning over Carl a bit, as she continued their kiss.

Carl continued the kiss for a few minutes and then looked up at her, smiling and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. After a short moment, he kissed her again.

She bit her lip lightly as she looked down at him and gently ran her hand through his hair before kissing him once more.

"You're hopeless," he said very quietly with a grin against her lips as he continued the kiss.

Wenny grinned at him, "ok then." She laid back down and rolled over so that she was facing away from him, fighting back a laugh.

"Hey, wait a minute," Carl said with a frown. "That wasn't a cue for you to stop," he said, turning on his side to look at her.

"Oh, really?," she asked, pretending not to have known that. She continued trying not to laugh as she reached up and flipped her hair back off of her neck and then grabbed his hand, pulling his arm so that it wrapped around her.

"You're hopeless," he said again with a smile as he put his other arm around her too and then turned her back towards him and kissed her again.

"Didn't you learn the first time?," Wenny asked, grinning, as she rolled back over facing away from him again. This time, she reached over with her other hand to pull her hair away from her neck and then glanced back at him, wondering if he'd get her hint.

Carl sighed and then kissed her neck once and then laid his head back again. "Happy?" he said with a slight smirk on his face.

"Oh, come on," she said, laughing. She glanced back at him and then sighed dramatically.

He sighed heavily as he sat back up for a moment. "Oh, alright," he said wearily. Then he grinned before lying back down and kissing her neck.

Wenny giggled at his reaction, then reached back and put her hand on the back of his head, her fingers in his hair, letting herself enjoy his kisses.

Carl grinned as he felt her hand in his hair and continued placing soft kissing on her neck, playing with her hair as he did.

She closed her eyes as she reached back to grab his other hand, wrapping his arm around her again. Her hand still holding his. She bit her lip lightly as her thoughts became clouded.

Dray came upstairs to talk to Wenny for a moment and looked in her room, since Mrs. Weasley said that Wenny had mentioned going upstairs to take a nap after breakfast. But when he didn't see her in her room, he knew she must be in Carl's. Wanting to be sure they weren't getting into anything, he opened the door without knocking. "Enidwen!"

Carl sat up like a lightning bolt. He should have known better. He felt so stupid and embarrassed and so many other things at the moment, and could feel his cheeks turning a bright red as he looked at Dray. He was now frozen, his gaze on Dray and a huge knot in his throat. This wasn't anywhere near good.

As soon as she heard him, she winced and then slowly sat up. She turned to look at him, more disappointed than frightened, "yes, father?"

"Don't 'yes father' me. What do you think you're doing?," he asked, glancing between them.

She was _extremely_ tempted to say _'what did it look like we were doing?,'_ but she decided against it. Though, the thought made her grin. "Nothing," she answered.

"Yeah, it looked like 'nothing'," he replied. "Your room. Now."

"This is getting so old. I'm not five, you know," she said, glaring at him and standing up. She looked at Carl and mouthed _'I'm sorry,'_ before walking across to her room and closing the door a bit more forceful than normal.

Carl, nervous at the thought of being left alone with Dray yet again after him catching him and Wenny together, watched Wenny leave and then turned back to Dray. He didn't waste his breath saying that it was his fault, because he was sure Dray could tell that it had been both of them.

He just looked at Dray, tempted to look down at the ground. But he didn't want to seem weak, so he kept eye contact. "I'm very sorry, Sir," he said, standing up off the bed.

Dray glanced across the hall when he heard Wenny's door close rather loudly, then turned to Carl and sighed. "Carl, I know my daughter is very headstrong and stubborn and sees nothing wrong with...what you were doing, but as I told you the first time, she is still just a young girl and I don't want her finding herself in a situation that she's not ready for."

Wenny sat on the edge of her bed, rather upset at her father for making her 'go to ther room' as if she were a little kid...and embarrassed to have been caught with Carl yet again. But, it was her fault, not Carl's. She had been the one pushing Carl to kiss her like that. She hoped her father would come over to her room next so she could tell him exactly that.

Carl felt himself blush even more, if that was at all possible, as he heard Dray's comment. "I understand, Sir," he said quietly, still standing and looking at him. He felt like his feet were glued to the ground and the knot in his throat wouldn't go away. He couldn't even bring himself to look anywhere other than at Dray, out of disbelieve that they had already been caught like that twice and they just arrived yesterday.

"I expect to not walk on anything like this again or more drastic measures will have to be taken," Dray said, giving Carl a look of _and trust me, you don't want that._ "Now, I came up here to talk to my daughter, so I'm going to go over there. You think about what I said." And with that, he left Carl's room and went across the hall. Again, without knocking, he walked straight in.

"Would you stop doing that, please?," Wenny said as soon as she saw her father enter her room.

"No, it's proved very useful lately," Dray replied, giving her a stern look.

Wenny just turned away and rolled her eyes. "Well, just so you know, that wasn't Carl's fault. I'm the one who...who...asked him to...do...that," she said, feeling a lot less confident actually saying it.

"I'm really not interested in blaming one or the other, I just don't want it happening again. Got that?," he said.

"Yes, sir," she replied, with a bit of a sarcastic tone, but not enough that he would notice.

Carl sighed heavily and closed his eyes and then sat back on the bed, or more like fell back on the bed, his eyes still closed. Now he really wouldn't be able to do anything with Wenny while they were there. He would be way too scared of getting caught again, especially with the look that Dray had just given him. He didn't know what Dray would do, but he knew it wouldn't be good. How was he supposed to sleep without having Wenny next to him, though? He just wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon, he thought, as he opened his eyes and then stared up at the ceiling.

Dray talked to Wenny for a few more minutes, making sure she was ok from the events of the previous day, as he had gotten a bit worried when Mrs. Weasley had told him that Wenny said she hadn't slept all night. But once he was able to make sure she was fine, he walked over to the door, "now you remember what I said. I'll tell you what I told Carl. I don't want to walk in on anything again or more drastic measures will be taken."

Wenny looked at him like he was out of his mind, "more drastic measures? Surely, you're joking. You do realize how much we've been through together, right? You try to keep me from being with him and I'll...I'll..."

"You'll what? You can't run away, so don't even say it. Trust me, if the Death Eaters catch you again, they won't be nearly as nice this time," Dray replied.

Wenny just turned away from him, wishing he would hurry up and leave so she could go back to Carl's room.

Dray sighed, "I'm going to go back downstairs, but you remember what I said." He gave her one last stern look and then left her to herself.

Wenny waited a few minutes, giving her father time to get downstairs, and then walked across the hall and knocked on Carl's door.

Carl was tempted not to open the door because he _really_ didn't want to be caught by Dray again. But if they were only sitting in his room, talking, it wasn't that big of a deal, was it? He sighed heavily as he stood up and walked over to the door and opened it and gave Wenny a small smile when he saw her. "Wenny, I'm so sorry," he said quietly.

Wenny shook her head. "Don't apologize, Carl. It was my fault. And anyway, I'm not worried about whatever he might try to do," she replied. And she wasn't...to an extent.

He gave her another small smile. "That makes one of us," he said quietly. He couldn't say the same. He knew that he would do anything to be with Wenny, but he had to admit that her father scared him and made him want to do what he said.

Wenny pouted a bit, "Carl. Please tell me you're not _that_ afraid of him?" She was hoping Carl wasn't saying that she couldn't come back in his room. How was she supposed to sleep without him beside her? She'd seriously not be able to sleep at all, and then tomorrow would be ruined because she'd be exhausted. "There's really nothing he can do. He can't keep us away from each other. So please don't worry about it?"

Carl sighed heavily again and then ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know," he said quietly. The truthful answer was 'yes.' "Maybe we just shouldn't risk it," he told her with a slight shrug. "I mean it's not like we can't stay together during the day. Your father wouldn't get mad if we're just talking, right? But maybe at night..." he trailed off as he frowned a little.

She didn't at all like the sound of this. "Just talking?," she asked, still pouting a little. After a few moments, she sighed. "Fine," she said, "We'll just...talk. Nothing more." It wasn't as if there was anything wrong with 'just talking,' but she couldn't imagine not even being able to just be in his arms. She _so_ couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts.

Carl gave her another small smile and opened the door wider and motioned for her to come in and then closed the door behind her. He went over and sat on one of the dusty chairs and looked at her, trying to hide his sad face with a smile.

"Well, at least it's just for a couple of days, right?," Wenny asked, walking over to sit in a chair near him. It felt so strange sitting so far away from him. "What did he say to you?," she asked, trying to figure out why Carl seemed so scared of her father now.

He shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it. "He just said that if he caught us again he'd take more drastic measures," he said with a sigh, looking down at the ground. But the more he thought about it, the less he could really blame Dray. Wenny was his daughter and just wanted what was best for her. Maybe Wenny just didn't realize how lucky she was.

"Is that all?," she asked, watching him. "He said that to me, too...but I'm not scared of him. Like I said, there's really nothing he can do," she couldn't help but think how humorous the situation would've been had she not be involved. She was sure she sounded rather...hopeless...as Carl always said. She sighed, "ok, well...what would you like to talk about?"

Carl looked back up at her and shrugged, realizing that they really almost never just _talked._ Maybe they needed that. Although, he'd rather be kissing her, he thought bitterly. He sighed and shrugged again. "I don't know," he said, looking back down at the ground.

This day was getting worse and worse by the hour. First, their fight. Though, that had been patched up rather nicely. And now _this._ She sat there and just watched Carl for a few minutes, not sure what to say and not wanting to try to approach him, for fear that he'd push her away. "Maybe we should go downstairs and see if we can help Mrs. Weasley with anything?" Of course, that isn't what she'd prefer to be doing, but this awkward silence was driving her crazy.

Carl looked back up at her with a somewhat curious expression. "What did your father want?" he asked her, trying to change the subject from going back downstairs. "He said that he had come up here to talk to you," he said, shaking his hair out of his face.

"Oh, he just was worried that I wasn't feeling well or something. Mrs. Weasley had apparently told him that I was napping because I hadn't slept all night," she said, grinning slightly. She had told Mrs. Weasley that so that no one wondered why she was staying in her room all day.

"Oh alright," he said as he looked back down at the ground again. He was a little disappointed it hadn't been something more so they could talk about. He sighed as he looked down at the ground. He could at least tell her what he was thinking, but he waited a little while longer to see if she'd start up another conversation, as he really didn't want to leave the room.

"Carl, are you ok?," she asked, watching him. She thought he looked rather disappointed, but he was the one who was making them do this 'just talking' thing, so if anyone should be disappointed, it should've been her. Or at least, that's what she thought.

He looked back up at her once again and nodded his head slowly and smiled at her. "I'm fine, Wenny," he told her, thinking that wasn't really the conversation starter that he had hoped for. "But you know, your dad really loves you. He wouldn't have said those things if he didn't. I mean, think of how lucky you are to have a father who cares about you as much as he does," he said. He wasn't trying to sound jealous, but he was a little afraid that it may have come out that way.

Wenny sighed. Great, now Carl was on her father's side, practically. She'd never be able to get him to touch her again. "One day of him treating me like a daughter does not excuse him, Carl," she replied. She knew she was being childish, and she knew Carl was right, but she wasn't ready to simply forget and forgive quite yet. But then it hit her why Carl was saying that. His father situation. "I'm sorry...I'm being a brat. You're right, but that doesn't make it any less infuriating."

"I know it doesn't Wenny," he said quietly as he looked down at the ground for only a moment before looking at her again. "But give him a chance. He's trying to make up for you guy's lost time, but you have to let him. He's trying to be a father to you, and that's what fathers do," he said. At least, that's what he figured they did. But then he thought that just maybe Dray was afraid that Carl was taking Wenny away from him.

"Carl, I don't need him. I only need you," she said. She paused for a moment, just watching him, "I went almost five years without having a father who I felt cared about me. And now he wants to try to tell me what I can and can't do? I'm not a kid, Carl, as you very well know. It's going to take some time before I feel like taking orders from him. If he wants to come back and play Father of the Year by hugging me and telling me he loves me, that's fine...but he is not going to stop me from being with you. Only you could do that."

"But that's just it, Wenny. You went five years like that. I'm surprised that you don't try and work things out with him," he said. Then he felt only slightly hypocritical. He may not have tried to work things out with Snape, but then again, he had only found out about him maybe a little over a week ago. "A father's not a bad thing to have, you know," he told her. He only remembered Rabastan ever being anything remotely like a father to him when he was around five.

Wenny sighed again, "Carl, I appreciate that he has had a change of heart and I'm more than willing to 'work things out' with him, but not if it means that I can't be with you." She didn't like where this conversation was going. Was Carl going to seriously sit here and lecture her on her relationship with her father? And how she should start listening to him? "Fine, I get it. I'll go back to my room," she said, standing up and walking to the door.

"Wait," Carl said quickly, standing up from the chair and walking over to her and putting his arm out infront of her to stop her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I guess I'm just a little touchy when it comes to the subject of fathers." He stopped himself from saying that she was lucky, but was still afraid she might try to keep arguing again.

Wenny turned around and looked at him, "I know and I'm sorry. But I'm a little touchy when it comes to the subject of you."

He gave her a small smile and looked down at the ground, putting his hands in his pockets and shaking a little bit of hair out of his face.

Wenny grinned at Carl shaking his hair out of his face and then reached over and tucked it behind his ears. "I know you don't want to risk us getting caught again and I appreciate that, but...I just can't easily accept that. I guess I really am hopeless," she said with a small grin.

Carl looked back up at her and smiled. "You _are_ hopeless," he said with a grin. He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her for only a moment before pulling back and smiling at her. If her father had walked in at that exact moment, he would have had to jump out of a window once they got back to Hogwarts.

Wenny had to laugh at how quickly Carl pulled away from her. "That was just a kiss, Carl," she said with an amused grin. Her father sure did do a good job of scaring him.

"Well, sure, but right after he just got done catching me kissing your neck on the bed? I don't think it would look very good," he told her with a shrug.

"We're standing all the way across the room from the bed, and we're practically two feet apart from each other. I don't think you could get much further from that situation if you tried," she said, smirking. Though she was joking about it, it really was rather annoying.

"That wouldn't happen to be another challenge, would it?" Carl asked, raising his eyebrow and smirking, but then laughed his question away. After a moment, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her deeply for a few moments before smiling at her. "Better?"

"Mmmhmm, much," Wenny answered. At least he was kissing her now. She really couldn't take much more of that sitting five feet away and talking about her father stuff. "Though, actually...maybe you were right, we shouldn't kiss," she said with a slight grin.

Carl took a step back and had a look of relief on his face. "Oh, good," he said. "Because that was the most stressful kiss I've ever had, feeling like your father was just going to burst through the door," he said, taking a deep breath and putting his hand on his chest. "I'm glad we both agree," he said, hiding his grin. 


	43. A Talk With Lupin

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Three: A Talk With Lupin**

Wenny looked at Carl wide-eyed, her mouth opened in surprise, "please tell me you're joking?" He had to be. Didn't he? What if he wasn't? Nah, he had to be. Right?

Carl looked taken aback in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. You were?" he asked. He could almost not hide his grin anymore, but he kept it hidden, feeling like he was going to burst out in laughter.

Wenny playfully glared at him and hit him, "you are such a jerk." She couldn't help but laugh, though. He had definitely gotten her that time.

Carl let out a laugh as Wenny hit him and then grinned at her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be," he said as his grin turned into a frown and he looked at her with his pouting face.

Wenny rolled her eyes at his comment, "riiight." Then she saw his pouting, and reached over and put her hand on his cheek. She was tempted to pinch it, just for his little prank, but decided against it. "Don't give me that cute little pouty face. It's not going to work this time," she said, trying not to laugh.

Carl continued to look at her, pouting. Then he moved his eyes sideways to look at her hand on his cheek. "You know, everytime you do that, I'm going to be paranoid now," he said with a slight grin as he put his hand on hers.

Wenny laughed, "good." She playfully stuck her tongue out at him. But when he put his hand on hers, she gave him a small smile. They didn't have to be doing anything for her to feel loved, just his hand on hers could do that. Sometimes she even found the small gestures more endearing than the other stuff.

Carl smiled at her for a moment before taking her hand and putting it on his chest. "So," he started slowly. "What would you like to do that does not involve your neck, my lips, and the bed?" he asked with a slight grin.

Wenny laughed again. "Awww, man...," she said, giving him a cheeky grin. "Hmmm...well, I can't think of a single thing. So maybe I'll just go over to my room and sleep for a while. 'Cause I'm just," she said, yawning, "sooo sleepy."

Carl smiled and then caught her yawn. "Actually, I kind of am a little tired myself," he said. "You always have such good ideas," he said, hiding his grin again.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a genius like that," she said, trying not to grin. "And ok, well...I'll see ya at lunch, then? I'll even save you a seat beside my father," she added with a smirk, before turning towards the door and putting her hand on the doorknob.

He put his hand on hers before she could open the door. "You just had to say that, didn't you?" he asked with somewhat of a grin. She just seemed to get to him every time, but he hoped he at least did the same to her.

"Of course I did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was about to go take a nap," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him and trying not to grin.

"Well, sorry," he said slowly, acting upset, as he let go of her hand and then started to walk to the bed, not looking back at her.

Wenny saw him walk away and turned around to watch him for a moment. "If you weren't headed towards the _bed,_ I'd come after you, you know," she said.

Carl stopped and turned around. "Well, if I went to the chair, I wouldn't get a very good nap, now would I?" he said with a grin as he started to walk backwards towards the bed.

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "technicality. Besides, you won't get a very good nap without me anyway." She smirked and then turned back towards the door.

He shrugged. "Well, you never know," he said, grinning. Although, he had stopped walking and was watching Wenny with his head cocked slightly to one side.

"I guess I'll let you try it out then," she replied, glancing over her shoulder as she opened the door just slightly.

Carl ran over to the door and shut it and put his hand on hers. "You know, as much fun as this game is, it's starting to torment me," he said before putting his other hand on her cheek and kissing her.

Wenny grinned as he kissed her. "What game? You mean you don't really want to take a nap?," she asked, trying her best to look genuinely surprised, "but I thought you said you were tired?"

He sighed heavily. "You see, that's what torments me," he said. "Now quit playing around and kiss me already," he added with a grin.

"I don't know, I mean...I really was _so_ looking forward to a nap," she said, looking a bit disappointed. "Oh, alright...if you insist," she said, playfully rolling her eyes, before grinning and then kissing him.

Carl looked at her with his _you've got to be kidding me_ look at her first comment and then grinned at her kiss. He deepened their kiss for a moment before pulling back and smiling. "Thank you, that's all I needed. Now I think I could get a rather nice nap in," he said, smirking.

"Well, we'll see about that, won't we?," she said, grinning. Normally after that comment, she would've done everything in her power to keep him from napping, but...this time, she actually meant it the way it sounded. She'd leave him to himself and let him see if he could actually nap. "I guess I'll be going then. I'll see you at lunch," she said with a smile, as she opened the door, "sleep well."

He nodded his head. "Thank you," he said. Although, when he saw that she wasn't joking, he raised his eyebrow a little. But he walked over to the bed anyway and laid down on his side and closed his eyes, waiting for her to leave. If either of them really thought he would be able to go to sleep, then they had to be crazy.

Wenny sighed as she watched him go lay down on his bed. She would have loved to have walked over and laid down beside him, but thanks to her darling daddy, that was now out of the question. She watched Carl for another moment, and then walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

As soon as she walked into her room, she sat down on the edge of the bed. This was total craziness. How could either of them expect to get any sleep like this? She didn't know what they could do about it, though, as she was sure her father wouldn't exactly agree to let them share a bed. Even if she swore that they wouldn't be doing anything other than sleeping.

Wenny was tempted to go back across the hall, but if they were going to have to sleep in their own rooms tonight, they may as well try to get used to it now.

Carl turned around and opened one eye to make sure she had left before sitting up. He thought for a moment before standing up and walking over to the door. He opened it quietly and peeked out and down the stairs to make sure Wenny was in her room before walking out and closing the door quietly behind him. He started walking down the stairs and into the kitchen, hoping there was someone in there. He saw Mrs. Weasley at the stove as usual and Lupin and Fred...or George, Carl really couldn't tell at the moment, were sitting at the table.

"Hey, Mrs. Weasley," he said as he walked over to the table and sat down. "Hey...George, Professor," he said.

George stood up and finished off the butterbeer he was drinking. "Hey, Carl. Sorry I have to run off. I just came for a quick lunch. Got to get back to the shop. Thanks, Mum," he said before leaving the kitchen.

Lupin turned to Carl. "Call me Remus, Carl," he said with a grin as he handed Carl a butterbeer.

Wenny sat there on her bed for a few more minutes, looking over at the door, still tempted to go back across the hall to Carl's room, and eventually fell back on the bed. She didn't think she'd actually be able to fall asleep, though, so she just laid there staring at the ceiling and thinking. About Carl, about their situation, about her father. She even thought about her friends for a bit and wondered if they knew why she wasn't at school. She figured they probably didn't, as Dumbledore was probably the only one who knew and she doubted he would tell any of the students unless it was necessary. And that made her wonder what zany excuses they were coming up with on their own. Probably that she had 'run away' with Carl again. With that thought in mind, she sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that would cause her to fall asleep.

"Thanks," Carl said as he took the butterbeer from Lupin and took a sip. He sighed and closed his eyes as he sat the bottle back on the table, wishing that he could just forget the whole subject of fathers which had come back to his mind after he came back down into the kitchen.

Lupin looked at Carl curiously. "Everything alright, Carl?" he asked.

Carl opened his eyes and nodded his head. "Yeah, everything's fine," he said quietly as he glanced at Lupin and then looked back at the table.

After a moment, he sighed heavily and looked back to Lupin, shaking his head a little. "No, everything's not fine," he said quietly. He took a deep breath. He felt like he had to get this out of him or he would explode. "Is it wrong that when I see Wenny and her father to feel a little..." he trailed off as he held his butterbeer and looked down at it.

Lupin sighed, "Jealous?" He gave Carl a small smile. "Of course it's not wrong, Carl. You don't remember having a good relationship with the man that you had thought was your father for seventeen years. And now that you find that he's not your real father and that some other man is, you don't think you'll ever have what any other person has with their father." He looked at Carl for a moment. "But you have to give Severus time," he said after a pause.

Carl looked up at Lupin, feeling a little bit better, but it still didn't help much. "Thanks, Remus," he said, smiling slightly as he looked back down at his butterbeer for a moment before taking another sip. He was glad that Mrs. Weasley was too busy to be listening to them.

Wenny wasn't sure how long she had been lying there, her eyes were closed but her mind was still flooded with billions of thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked towards the door, wondering if Carl was actually sleeping or not...and if she should go check. But, incase he actually had been able to fall asleep, she didn't want to disturb him, so she sighed and rolled over, trying to make herself fall asleep.

After another few minutes, she rolled over on her other side, still unable to sleep. This was crazy. Surely there was something else she could do while Carl took a nap? Maybe she could go downstairs and ask Mrs. Weasley for cooking lessons, a thought that made her grin. She sighed as she sat up, looked around the room for a moment, and then stood up and walked to the door.

She walked across the hallway to Carl's room and knocked on the door very quietly, as she didn't want to wake him up if he were sleeping. After a few moments, when he still hadn't answered, she figured he must've fallen asleep, so she turned and went down the stairs.

"Mrs. Weasley?," she called out as she walked into the kitchen. She spotted Carl and Remus and stopped, "Oh, hey." She looked over at Carl. "I thought you were sleeping," she said, not as an accusation, but rather a reason of why she had come downstairs. She thought it looked as if they had been having a rather serious conversation, so she simply gave them both a small smile and then walked over to Mrs. Weasley.

Carl couldn't help but grin a little as he heard Wenny and then he shrugged. "Guess I couldn't sleep," he said with a slight smirk as he turned back to Remus and lowered his voice so Wenny wouldn't be able to hear what they were talking about. "Remus, do you know what kind of things Mr. Gytha had to do? He said he wouldn't be staying here the whole time. Surely, it wouldn't be safe with the Death Eaters knowing he was a spy," he said curiously.

Remus looked at him for a moment before saying anything. "I'm sure if Dray wanted you to know that, he would have told you, Carl," he said, taking another sip of butterbeer.

Carl just nodded his head a little and also took another sip of his butterbeer and sat it back on the table, holding it in his hands and thinking. He glanced over at Wenny and then back at the butterbeer bottle, thinking of all the questions that were going on inside his head, and trying to pick the ones to ask Lupin.

"Oh, ok," Wenny said when she heard Carl's comment about not being able to sleep. Though, if Remus hadn't been there, she would've grinned or asked him why he thought that was or made some other comment. Though she knew why. She gave him a slight smile before turning to Mrs. Weasley.

"Mrs. Weasley, is there anything I can help you with? Like...lunch? Or something?," she asked politely.

"Oh no, dear, I can manage. You just go rest and don't worry about a thing," Mrs. Weasley said, putting a few pots on the stove.

"Well, can I watch you then?," Wenny asked, wanting to learn, but not wanting to bother Mrs. Weasley.

Carl looked back up at Lupin in curiously, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer to this next question. "Remus...was...was Snape...Professor Snape at the place that me and Wenny were at yesterday?" he asked him, watching him closely.

Lupin sighed heavily as he nodded his head very slowly. "Yes, Carl, he was," he said quietly.

Carl looked back down at his butterbeer, feeling another knot in his throat. He had to stop himself from asking why he hadn't done anything or throwing his butterbeer bottle at the wall and running back upstairs.

Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at Wenny, "Why, dear?"

Wenny shrugged lightly, "Oh, I don't know...I just thought maybe it might be good to learn a few things and there's really nothing else for me to do."

Mrs. Weasley seemed to be satisfied with this answer and began explaining what she was cooking and what was required for each dish. Wenny had to fight not to grin at the situation, and looked over at Carl. Though, she got a bit worried when she saw that he looked rather bothered by whatever he and Remus were talking about.

Carl just stared at the bottle in his hands, holding it tightly. He let loose of it only a little, afraid he might break it. His anger was starting to boil as he thought of Snape and how he had been there while him and Wenny were being tortured. His jaws were beginning to hurt from how tightly he was clenching them.

Remus studied Carl for a moment. "Carl, I can tell that what you are thinking right now is not the truth." He took a deep breath. "Severus wanted to help you two, but knew he couldn't blow his cover and there were so many things that would have looked suspicious. Dumbledore told him to wait to do anything until it was for sure that you two could not escape. Severus was prepared to jump infront of Rabastan's wand at this 'meeting' that they were all talking about. So don't be so quick to jump to the conclusing that Severus doesn't care," he said.

Carl continued to clench his jaw and stare at the bottle, only this time he felt his vision blurring up. He couldn't decide what to think. Anger that Snape hadn't tried to do something or happy that he was going to. But Dumbledore had told him not to do anything. He closed his eyes, trying to shake all of this from his mind as he didn't want to think about it any longer.

Wenny wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to be rude to Mrs. Weasley, but she could tell that Carl was really upset. She couldn't just leave him like, could she? Even though Remus was there with him. It didn't seem like Remus was doing much to help Carl, if anything it was probably something that Remus had said that was affecting Carl so.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley," Wenny said quietly before walking over to the two guys. She looked at Carl for a moment, "is everything ok?" Of course, she could tell it wasn't, but she wasn't sure what else she should or could say or do with Remus sitting there.

Remus looked from Wenny to Carl and gave them a small smile before finishing his butterbeer and standing up. "I should be going. Thanks for the sandwhich, Molly. Sorry I couldn't stay for lunch," he said before taking one last look at Wenny and Carl and then heading out of the kitchen.

Carl had heard Wenny as if she were far away from him. He nodded his head slowly, but didn't look up at her. He still hadn't let everything that Remus had told him soak into his brain yet.

Wenny returned Remus' smile and then turned back to Carl, "Carl?" She sat down beside him and watched him for a moment, wondering what Remus had said to him. "You know you can talk to me, right?" As soon as she said that, she couldn't help but think about their earlier conversation about them 'just talking.' Though, this time, she would be lucky if he'd talk to her, as she knew he tended to not want to worry her with his 'problems.'

Carl didn't think he would know how to even start, because he still hadn't decided how he felt about the whole thing. Maybe he could tell her later, but not in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley in there. He finally looked up at her and smiled. "I'm fine," he told her, letting go of the butterbeer bottle. He didn't think he would be able to finish it. "I think I might try to take that nap though," he said quietly, standing up. Even though, he knew he wouldn't be sleeping, especially after what he had just been told.

Wenny stood up, still watching him closely. She didn't like hearing him say he was going to try to nap. That meant that whatever was bothering him was _really_ bothering him. But maybe he just needed some time alone. She nodded slowly, "well, ok then, I guess." She reached over and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear, and then placed her hand on his cheek. She just looked at him for a moment, hoping he knew that she was worried about him and that he could talk to her if he needed to.

Carl gave her a small smile and then a soft kiss on the cheek before turning to the stairs and starting up them. He went into his room and closed the door before going over to his bed and laying down on it on his back. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He wanted to be mad at Snape, but how could he be? He sighed heavily and rolled over on his side after awhile.

Wenny walked back over to Mrs. Weasley and continued watching her make lunch, though she was rather distracted by her worry about Carl. What had Remus said to him to make him this upset? If Remus hadn't already left, she would've asked him, but as it stood, she would simply have to wait until Carl decided to tell her himself.

Carl actually found that all of this had made him rather tired. It was probably everything that he was trying to absorb that made him sleepy. He closed his eyes, not trying to go to sleep, but he could feel it creeping up on him. He didn't think of it as a bad thing, though, since he probably wouldn't be able to sleep that night. The next thing he remembered was dreaming about Wenny. 


	44. Lunchtime Flirt

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Four: Lunchtime Flirt**

When lunch was all but finished, Wenny helped set the table for Mrs. Weasley. She figured it was the least she could do for everything the lady had done for them and she thought that it might take her mind off of worrying about Carl. Of course, that didn't happen. She couldn't help but wonder if he was actually able to fall asleep or not and if she should go check on him. She figured she'd give him a few more minutes while she helped Mrs. Weasley finish up in the kitchen first.

Carl realized after a little ways into the dream that he was half awake, but that didn't stop him from not waking up completely. He could feel himself smiling as he continued to dream about Wenny. It was after all of the Death Eaters were gone and they didn't have to worry about them any longer. He wished he could stay in that dream, but since he was still a little conscious, he knew he'd have to get up in a little bit.

Once everything was finished, Wenny went upstairs to see if Carl was going to come down for lunch or not. She didn't want to just walk in on him, as her father tended to do, so she quietly knocked on his door. She hoped he had actually been able to get some sleep and that he hadn't been up here stressing himself out the entire time.

Carl opened his eyes slowly and then turned over to look at the door. He stood up and walked over to open it, yawning and rubbing his eyes, and then smiled when he saw Wenny. "Hey," he said quietly, deciding not to tease her about interupting his _very_ good dream.

She saw him yawn and rub his eyes and she smiled a little. "Hey," she said, as she stepped just inside the door and put her arms around him. "So you were able to get some sleep then?"

"Maybe a little," he said with a slight shrug, still kind of smiling from his dream. "Did you learn any good cooking skills from Mrs. Weasley?" he asked with a slight grin.

Wenny grinned. "Hmm...maybe a little," she answered, though in all honesty, she really hadn't paid much attention since she had been worried about him the entire time. But he seemed to be ok now. Or was he? "I was worried about you, ya know. Are you ok?"

Carl frowned a little. It seemed that he had pretty much forgotten about what he had been told earlier. "I'm fine," he said quietly. "Well, I will be," he corrected with a smile and a shrug.

Wenny saw his frown and frowned a bit herself, "I'm sorry." Maybe she shouldn't have asked, as he had seemed ok when he first opened the door. "Well, I came to see if you were going to come downstairs for lunch...?"

He nodded his head slowly and smiled at her. "Yeah," he said quietly. He wondered how many people were going to be down there since it looked like Remus and George weren't going to be.

"Are you sure you're ok?," Wenny asked, watching him. "You looked pretty upset when you came up here a little while ago." She tightened her hold on him for a second, in a little hug. "We don't have to go down there right now if you need or want to talk about something first...?"

Carl looked at her for a few moments as he hugged her back. "Can we talk about it after lunch?" he asked. He wasn't as caught up in all of it at the moment and he thought that if he started to talk about it, it would all come back to him and ruin his mood.

She nodded, "sure." She hoped he wasn't just saying that so that she would forget about it, though. It always made her worry when he wouldn't talk about something. But, she'd wait until after lunch before she asked him about it again and hopefully, he'd actually talk to her. "I hope you're hungry, because I think Mrs. Weasley went all out...since she had an audience," she said with a slight grin.

He grinned at her and then put his arm around her as he opened the door again. "Well, I can't wait to see what you learned," he said with a slight smirk on his face as they walked out of the room and started back down the stairs.

Wenny laughed, "Oh, I learned tonnnns." She wasn't completely lying, she had actually paid a little attention to Mrs. Weasley and picked up a few pointers, but she had also been rather distracted by her worry for Carl. Though, she wasn't about to tell him that.

Carl laughed a little as they headed down the stairs. He began wondering again who all was going to be there. He got a little nervous wondering if Dray was, but he was glad that he was worrying about that instead of what Remus had told him.

Wenny glanced around as they walked into the kitchen, and wasn't surprised to see her father already there. She gave him a small smile, just to be polite. She really wasn't too happy with him at the moment, so she didn't speak. She looked over at Carl for a moment to reassure him before sitting down at the table.

Carl was extremely tempted to look down at the ground once seeing Dray, but knew that it would make him look weak, so he nodded his head at him in greeting and gave him a polite smile as he sat down at the table with Wenny.

Wenny watched as Mrs. Weasley was bustled around, setting the food out and fixing drinks for everyone. "Would you like me to help you with that, Mrs. Weasley?," she asked.

"Oh, no, dear...don't you worry your pretty little self. I've got it. Been doing it for years," Mrs. Weasley answered in her motherly way.

For a moment, Mrs. Weasley's comment made Wenny tense up just slightly. One of the first things that Death Eater, Russo, said to her included 'pretty little.' She knew Mrs. Weasley didn't mean anything by it, though, so she simply shrugged it off and nodded, looking down at the table.

Carl watched as Fred came in. He figured the twins had to have different lunch hours. Carl smiled over at Mrs. Weasley and then looked quickly at Wenny. "Everything alright?" he asked her quietly when he noticed her looking down at the table.

Wenny looked up as she heard Carl and nodded, "yeah, I'm ok." She gave him a small smile and then glanced over at Fred. She wondered which one of the twins he was, as she couldn't tell them apart like Carl could.

Mrs. Weasley finished serving the food and sat down at the table and smiled, glancing at everyone. "Well, there yas go. Eat up!" she said cheerfully.

Dray looked over at Wenny and watched her for a moment, wishing she would speak to him. He wasn't trying to be a horrible father, he was simply looking out for her best interest. But, he guessed he deserved it. Not to mention that it seemed that Carl had become the person she turned to now. Though, he could understand that. He hadn't really been the father she needed for the past five years. But it still bothered him for her to practically ignore him.

Wenny noticed her father watching her and looked over at him. She wasn't sure what to say, or if she even wanted to say anything, so she simply gave him another small smile before looking down at her plate and starting to pick at her food.

Carl glanced between Wenny and Dray awkwardly for a moment. Not wanting to catch Dray's gaze, he quickly looked down at his plate and took a few bites. Then he looked up at Fred and decided to make conversation. "So, Fred, you think you could cut the price if I asked for a few headless hats?" he asked curiously.

Fred looked up from his plate. "Oh, I think I might be able to do something," he said with a grin.

Mr. Weasley walked in and sat down next to Mrs. Weasley and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late, Molly," he said with an apologetic smile.

Wenny saw Mr. Weasley kiss Mrs. Weasley's cheek and had to smile. They were so sweet together, even after so many years of marriage. She couldn't help but think that that was what she wanted. Someone she could grow old with and someone who would still do the small things like kiss her cheek. She hoped Carl would be that someone, a thought that made her blush a little, as she looked back down at her plate and continued to pick at her food.

"Hey, Arthur. How's everything?," Dray asked Mr. Weasley. Wenny was glad that Mr. Weasley had arrived. Perhaps he and her father would get into some random conversation that would keep his attention off of her.

Carl smiled at Mr. Weasley in greeting and then when he kissed Mrs. Weasley's cheek. Then he glanced over at Wenny and saw her blush. He wondered what she was thinking which made him grin a little as he turned back to his plate. He hoped that Mr. Weasley could entertain Dray so he wouldn't be as nervous.

Mr. Weasley took a bite of food before sighing heavily. "Just another long day at the office," he said wearily. "I really wish I knew how these kids can find amusement in bewitching muggle television sets," he said, shaking his head a little.

Fred was taking a sip of butterbeer and he spit it out, making it go everywhere. He began laughing, but then one quick look to his father made him stop.

When Fred spit out his drink, Wenny looked up at him. "Ewwww," she said, laughing. But when she saw Mr. Weasley's look, she, too, stopped laughing...though, she looked over at Carl with an amused grin.

Lunch was going by without any major problems, it seemed. Mr. Weasley and Dray began talking about work and other random stuff that didn't interest Wenny in the least. And since she was rather bored, she figured she'd tease Carl a bit. Especially since she knew how nervous he was around her father now. So without looking at him, she reached over for his hand and placed it on her thigh.

Carl felt a knot in his throat again, but didn't look over at Wenny. He glanced up at Dray, but then quickly back down. After a moment, he finally looked over at Wenny. "How do you expect me to eat now?" he whispered after clearing his throat, the knot in his throat still present.

Fred was talking to Mrs. Weasley after she had to stop herself from yelling at him to tell him to clean up the mess.

Wenny was trying not to give anything away, as she didn't want to upset 'daddy,' so she had to fight not to laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were finished?," she whispered back, smirking. She was evil. She knew it. But she couldn't help herself.

Dray noticed Wenny's sudden 'happiness,' and glanced over at her with a curious expression. Wenny just gave him yet another small smile, though this time, it wasn't quite as small.

Carl looked from Wenny to Dray after he saw her looking at him. He swallowed the knot in his throat and attempted a smile. Although, he wasn't exactly sure if it came out as one. He looked back down to the table and took another bite, which was hard to swallow, but he managed it. Then he looked back up at Wenny. "You know you're killing me here, right?" he whispered.

Again, Wenny had to fight not to laugh as she nodded, "Uh huh." She grinned as she took a bite of her food, so as not to draw any attention to them. Afterwards, she leaned over and whispered, "you can pay me back later." And with that, she went back to calmly eating her lunch, occasionally glancing over at him. She knew she was torturing him, but at least it made lunch more interesting.

"You've got to be kidding me," Carl muttered as he looked back to his plate. She was driving him absolutely insane, but it's not like he could complain. Well, at least not until Dray said anything about it. He ate only a couple more bites, not able to eat very well after that.

Wenny was having trouble hiding her grin, and Dray noticed. He looked over at her again and watched her for a moment, then glanced over at Carl and then back to Wenny. He could tell something was going on with them, but he didn't know what. But he knew they wouldn't dare do anything with him sitting right there. Not after his threat, surely. He shrugged, perhaps they simply found something funny. Like Fred.

Wenny took her hand off of Carl's, so that he could take his hand off of her leg if he wanted, and glanced over at him. She hoped he wasn't too upset with her, but she had been bored. And she loved seeing him squirm.

Carl looked up at Dray for only a moment and caught his gaze. When Wenny let go of his hand, he kept it there for a moment, feeling like he was unable to move it. Finally, he took his hand off and gave her a playful glare. "Now, you do know that I'm going to have to get you back for that, right?" he whispered, letting a little grin show.

"That's what I'm hoping for," she whispered back, raising her eyebrows slightly. She turned back to her plate and then grinned, glancing over at him once more.

Dray finished his conversation with Mr. Weasley and turned to Wenny and Carl, "I have a few things to do this afternoon, but I'll be back in a few hours. Mrs. Weasley will be here, though, and I've told her to have you guys help around the house if she so desires. It's the least you can do for all she's done for us."

Wenny had to force herself not to roll her eyes. Did he seriously think she didn't know what he was doing? Trying to get Mrs. Weasley to keep them busy so that they couldn't be on their own? Hopefully, Mrs. Weasley would do what she always did and refuse to 'bother' them with housework and cooking.

Carl nodded his head a little at Dray. "Yes, Sir. I agree," he said. He turned to Mrs. Weasley. "I do hope that you'll let us help in whichever way that we can," he told her. Then he glanced at Wenny, hiding a grin. He decided to take revenge on her in a different way.

Mrs. Weasley looked up from talking to Fred. "Oh, dears, there's really no need for that. I'm sure you two still need your rest." Then she looked over at Dray and sighed as she looked back at them. "Well, I'm sure we can find something," she said with a small smile. Carl nodded his head and gave Wenny a small smirk.

Wenny listened to the conversation between Carl and Mrs. Weasley and then cut her eyes at Carl. She no longer felt bad about teasing him. He was just as evil as she was. How dare he do that to her. Well...she'd just have to figure out a way to get him back...for getting her back. This was going to be rather interesting.

Carl grinned and then took another bite of food now that he could eat a little better, still grinning at Wenny. He finished his food and then took a sip of butterbeer. After a moment, he stood up and took his plate to the sink and began washing it. Fred stood up and said goodbye to everyone right before Mr. Weasley did. Carl went around and picked up their plates and washed them too, glancing over at Wenny and grinning at her every now and then.

Wenny stood up and took her plate and handed it to Carl, "you think you're funny, don't you?" She playfully glared at him and then poked his chest with her finger, "Well, trust me when I say that you won't think it's funny later, Mister." She had to fight not to laugh at the corniness of that comment. And she actually had no idea what she was going to do to get him back, but she'd come up with something. And it was going to be _good._ She'd make sure of that.

"Oh, I'm so scared," Carl said as he smiled at her. Then he rubbed his chest where she had poked him and frowned. "That really hurt," he said, pouting. Then he laughed as he washed her plate. This was turning out to be rather interesting, although he got a little more nervous whenever he would look over at Dray, who Mrs. Weasley had just started talking to since everyone else in the room had left.

"Hmph. Well, don't expect me to kiss it and make it better," Wenny said, still playfully glaring at him, though she had to laugh after that. She saw him glance over to her father and rolled her eyes, "would you please relax? I promise you he's harmless." She had to hide her surprise at hearing herself say that. If someone had've told her the previous week that she would be calling her father 'harmless,' she would've thought they were insane.

Carl raised his eyebrow. "I'm his daughter's boyfriend," he whispered. "Trust me, guys don't find their girlfriend's father harmless," he told her with a slight grin. "Especially when the guy thought said father was a Death Eater and was going to kill him the first time he met him," he said, whispering even quieter. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to clean," he said, grinning slightly at her as he turned back to continue washing the plates.

Wenny had to laugh at Carl's comments about her father, "Oh, well, ok. I'll give ya that one. But he really is harmless." She watched him washing the plates for a few minutes, "you know, you look pretty cute doing that. Perhaps I can find an apron around here somewhere. Preferably a pink one with little flowers and ruffles on it."

He glared at her, a little less playfully than usual, but still kind. "You even try it and...and..." he said, not really able to find a right threat. "And I might just forget how to get into the Room of Requirement," he whispered quietly, unable to hide a little grin.

Wenny looked at him, mouth wide open in shock, "you wouldn't." She glared at him, still grinning a bit, "well, if you do that, you'd be punishing yourself just as much." She smirked at him.

Carl stopped what he was doing and thought for a moment. She had a point. Then he shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not," he said with a little grin. Of course, he knew she was right, but he didn't have to let her know that.

"Ohhh, ok then," Wenny said, "I see how it is." She reached over into the sink, grabbed a handful of the dish bubbles and plopped them on his head. "I'll remember that you said that next time you decide that we should meet," she added, trying not to laugh.

Carl's jaw opened as he stared at her. "You little..." he said, glaring at her playfully before copying her and taking some of the bubbles in the sink and putting them on her head.

She laughed at his reaction. "Little what? Hmmm?," she challenged him, still laughing. And when he put the bubbles on her head, she pretended to be shocked, "I can't believe you just did that!" She grabbed some more bubbles and wiped them down his shirt.

Carl held his arms out to his side as he looked down at his shirt and then back up at her, shocked. He took some more of the bubbles from the sink and then put them on her shoulders and rubbed them down her arms. "There, now you're clean," he said with a grin.

Wenny playfully glared at him, trying not to laugh. "I'm beginning to think you have an obsession with cleaning. Perhaps you should take over for Mrs. Weasley," she said, smirking. She reached in the sink and grabbed another handful of bubbles and threw them at him.

Carl's jaw dropped even lower as he stared at her and then shook his head a little, causing some of the bubbles to go flying off his head. "I see how you want to play," he said with a grin. He grabbed some more and then threw them at her.

Wenny playfully glared at him again, though laughed when he shook the bubbles off. "My comment wasn't nearly as bad as you saying 'maybe, maybe not," she replied, saying the last bit in a mocking voice.

"Really?" he said, pretending to be interested in how that was so and cocking his head slightly to one side and raising an eyebrow. "Well, I guess I better get back to _cleaning,"_ he said with a grin as he turned back to the sink.

"Oh, of course," she said, returning his grin, "Please don't let me keep you from your favorite pasttime." She smirked as she turned and walked over and jumped up to sit on the counter. "I hope you don't mind me watching," she said with a grin, "I mean, like I said before, you are just so cute when you're cleaning."

Carl sent her a playful glare before looking back at the sink. "Of course I don't mind. I probably won't even know that you're there," he said, hiding a grin as he continued to wash the rest of the dishes, humming a little to himself.

_Hmph. We'll see about that,_ Wenny thought. She leaned back, propping herself up on her hands, and slowly crossed her legs. She tilted her head forward just slightly and gently bit her bottom lip, watching him for any reaction.

Carl saw Wenny out of the corner of his eye, and had to restrain himself from doing anything, which definitely wasn't an easy task. He continued washing the dishes, having to bite his tongue from showing any emotion towards what she was doing. He finished and then turned away from her slightly to begin drying the dishes.

Since she didn't think she could do much more than that without attracting her father's attention, Wenny glared at him, "You're impossible." She hopped down off of the counter, walked over to him, and playfully smacked him on the back of the head. "I'm going to my room," she said, giving him one more playful glare before turning to leave.

Carl laughed and then rubbed the back of his head, messing up his hair even more. "You do that. And I'll be down here, helping Mrs. Weasley _clean,"_ he said with a slight smirk as he watched her walk away and then turned back to drying the dishes. He hoped him not going after her would make her a little crazy. 


	45. Ladies First

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Five: Ladies First**

Wenny walked up the stairs, glancing back at Carl once before leaving the room completely. She walked into her room and over to the bed, sitting down on the edge. If that was the way he wanted to play it, then fine by her. Just wait until the next time he tried to lay a hand, or even a lip, on her. _Cleaning. Hmph._

Carl grinned as he turned to watch her walk up the stairs and then turned back to the dishes. He finished drying the dishes after a while before walking back over to the table where Dray and Mrs. Weasley were the only ones left. "Is there anything else I can do, Mrs. Weasley?" he asked her after taking a glance at Dray.

Mrs. Weasley glanced around the room as if checking off chores from a list in her mind, "hmm...no, it looks like everything's good, dear." She looked over at Dray, "Unless Dray has something he needs you to do...?"

Dray had seen Wenny go upstairs and Carl stay downstairs to help Mrs. Weasley and his respect for the boy increased a little. Maybe the boy wasn't as hormone-driven as he first thought. Wait, he's a teenage boy, of course he's as hormone-driven as Dray first thought...but perhaps the boy has more control than he first thought. Or maybe it was just respect for his elders. But either way, it was a positive thing. Perhaps Wenny hadn't chosen so poorly after all. Though, that didn't mean Dray wouldn't still keep an eye on them.

"I think that's it for now, Carl. Thank you for helping Mrs. Weasley," he said. He wished Wenny had've helped as well. He would have to talk to her about that later.

Carl nodded his head a little to Dray and gave him a polite smile. "Yes, Sir," he said before giving Mrs. Weasley a smile as well and then turning to go back up the stairs. He found himself still a little nervous around Dray, but that was understandable right? After all, he _was_ dating the man's daughter.

Dray watched Carl go up the stairs and Mrs. Weasley watched Dray. He noticed and turned to her, "what?" She shrugged and with a flick of her wand, made a feather duster start dusting around the room. Dray raised an eyebrow, noticing the grin she was trying to hide.

Wenny was still in her room, rather surprised and a little bothered by the fact that Carl still hadn't come to get her. Surely he didn't enjoy _cleaning_ as much as or more than he enjoyed being around her? No, that idea was preposterous. He was simply trying to get her back for her earlier stunt. And it was working. His lack of reaction to her advances was driving her crazy.

Carl walked up the stairs slowly to decide if he was going to go into Wenny's room or not. When he reached their doors, he looked from one to the other for a moment. Maybe he had put Wenny through enough, or at least he hoped so. With that thought, he grinned and then walked over to her door and knocked quietly on it.

Wenny heard the knock on her door and figured it had to be Carl, as she was sure her father would've walked right in. She walked over and opened the door, "I take it you've finished _cleaning?"_

Carl grinned and shrugged. "Well, Mrs. Weasley said there wasn't anything else to do," he said with a slight grin. "Now, for the next part of my revenge," he said with a smirk as he walked into the room a little bit.

Wenny rolled her eyes at his comment about Mrs. Weasley. Then, when she heard his next comment, she folded her arms, "and where do you think you're going? I believe this is _my_ room and you haven't been invited in." She wasn't as upset as she was trying to make it seem, but he had another think coming if he thought he was going to get off that easily.

Carl cocked his head a little to one side and raised his eyebrow. "Really now?" he said as he took another step inside her room and then closing the door with his foot. He smirked at her for a moment before leaning closer to her. "And what exactly are you going to do about it?" he whispered in her ear before starting to kiss her neck.

Oh, this guy was pure evil. He knew what this did to her and Wenny knew that was exactly why he was doing it. He was trying to make her forget that she was currently upset with him...and it was working. But she had to fight it. She _had_ to. She couldn't let him get away with his earlier behavior. But, oh, how she loved this. No, she couldn't think like that. She had to be upset with him for at least a few more minutes.

If she hadn't been afraid that it would turn him completely off, she would've mentioned her father. But she wasn't quite that desperate to get him back. So instead, she pulled away from him a bit, "Carl. No."

Carl looked geniunely hurt as he took a step back. She had never pulled away when he was kissing her neck. Not that he could remember at least. This actually hurt him a little. He watched her for a few moments, not knowing what to do. He would just act like he was pretending to be hurt and then kiss her neck again, but was afraid that she'd just pull away from him again, so he just continued to watch her with his mouth hanging open a little.

Wenny watched him for a moment, surprised that he actually stopped, "You're not going to try again?" She thought he looked a bit hurt, but surely he knew that she hadn't really wanted him to stop. Right? "Carl?"

Carl just continued to look at her with his mouth a little open. "Maybe I should just go," he said slowly. He was still a little hurt, but seeing that it was also getting to Wenny, Carl figured he should take the opportunity to guilt her.

She looked at him curiously, "are you ok? You don't have to go, you know." Surely her pushing him away once wouldn't have hurt him this much. Hadn't he just totally ignored her downstairs? Still, seeing his face, she was starting to feel bad.

"I'm fine," he said quietly. "Maybe I'm just tired and need another nap," he told her, slowly walking back towards the door. Maybe he shouldn't keep this up, because he was almost certainly that Wenny was starting to sound a little sad.

"Well...ok. I guess I'll see you later then...," Wenny said quietly, still watching him and wondering why it had bothered him so much. After a moment, she added, "but just so you know, you ignoring me downstairs didn't feel too good either."

Carl sighed, knowing she was right, and turned back around. "I know," he said quietly. "But you know, that little stunt you pulled brought that on," he added with a tiny grin. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It's just that _really_ drove me crazy," he said, shaking his head a little.

She couldn't help but grin, "good. That's what I was hoping for." She laughed a little and walked over to him, "I'm sorry for doing that, though. I was just bored...and I like knowing that you're thinking about me."

He smiled down at her and slowly put his arm around her waist. "I'm always thinking about you, Wenny," he said with a smile before leaning down to kiss her neck again. But he quickly looked back up at her. "But you better not push me away again," he said with a slight grin before kissing her neck again.

Wenny grinned when Carl started kissing her neck, then frowned when she heard his comment. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted you to know I was still a bit...upset...over you...ignoring me," she said, slowing down once he started kissing her again.

"Uh huh," he said with a grin, continuing to kiss her neck. He wished they could go lay down over on her bed, but he didn't want to get too risky. He kept kissing her neck with his eyes closed, only opening them every now and then to glance up at her.

Wenny could feel her cheeks becoming a bit flushed as Carl continued his kisses. She closed her eyes as she tilted her head back slightly, placing a hand on the back of his neck, not wanting him to stop. She wasn't sure what it was about his kisses that seemed to make her lose herself so quickly, but whatever it was, she loved.

He smiled as he felt her hand on the back of his neck, continuing to kiss her neck for a few more moments. Then he pulled back. "Well, I think that's good for now," he said with a slight smirk, hoping she would pull him back to her.

She let out a small laugh and shook her head slightly, "Nuh uh." She gently pushed his head back down towards her neck, urging him to continue his kisses. She put her other arm around him, pulling him as close to her as possible.

Carl laughed a little. "Alright," he said slowly, amused. He started kissing her neck again as he put one hand on the other side of her neck and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Wenny could feel herself starting to lose her self control, and she knew how nervous he was with her father staying in the same house, so she pulled away just enough so that she could claim his lips with hers. After a few minutes, she rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck slightly, as she put her other arm around him.

He smiled at her as he wrapped both of his arms around her and held her close. He knew why she had pulled away, and appreciated it, though he had to admit he was a bit disappointed.

Wenny parted her lips just enough to place a few very soft kisses on his neck. She didn't want to do much more than that, as she didn't want to make him nervous or uncomfortable. Though, she couldn't help thinking about how much she wished they were back at Hogwarts...or that she knew a way to keep her father distracted for a while.

Carl closed his eyes for a moment before grabbing her hand. "Come here," he said quietly before walking over to the bed and sitting down. He continued to hold her hand as they sat next to each other. Dray couldn't get mad if they were just sitting on the bed, not doing anything, could he?

She walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, wondering what they were doing. Hadn't he said something earlier about not wanting to risk being anywhere near a bed? "Tired of standing?," she asked, looking over at him with a slight grin.

Carl lauhged a little. "Yeah, I guess so," he said, still holding her hand. "This doesn't bother you, does it?" he asked with a slight smirk, starting to get up, "because I could go back to my room."

"Bother _me?,"_ she asked, _"you_ are the one who has been rather nervous lately." She watched him starting to get up, rather amused, and then laughed as she pulled him back down, "sit yourself back down."

He laughed as he was pulled back down. "Me? Nervous? Please," he said kind of sarcastically. "I have _not_ been nervous," he said with a little grin as he held her hand again.

"Oh, right. Of course you haven't. What was I thinking?," Wenny said, rolling her eyes and laughing. "You should've seen your face during my 'little stunt' as you called it," she added, smirking at him.

Carl could feel his cheeks turn slightly pink. "Oh come on, that wasn't nice," he said lowly. He really could only imagine what he had looked like when she had done that.

"What wasn't nice? My stunt or my comment? Or both?," she asked, trying not to laugh. She reached over and put a hand on his cheek. "By the way, you're cute when you blush."

He glared playfully at her. "Both. And not as cute as you," he said as he grinned at her. "Now," he started. "What shall we do with the rest of our day that doesn't involve your father catching us yet again?" he asked.

"Awww, you're so sweet," Wenny said with a little laugh. "Hmm...well, I assume a walk is out of the question as well, unless it's a walk around the inside of the house," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, that might not be too horrible...we can see what other kind of weird stuff is in this house."

Carl jumped up off the bed and turned around towards her quickly, then held out his hand and bowed his head a little. "If the lady wants a walk around the creepy old house, a walk around the creepy old house is what the lady gets," he said, grinning as he held out his hand for her.

Wenny tried not to laugh as she politely took Carl's hand, standing up in a ladylike manner and then bowing her head slightly in return, "thank you, kind Sir." She grinned at him, "so where shall we go first?"

He laughed and then stood up straight as he walked to the door, holding Wenny's hand. "Well, it's a creepy old house. There's got to be somewhere to go," he said with a slight grin as he opened the door.

"You're right, it's definitely creepy," Wenny replied as she walked out into the hall with him. She glanced each way for a second, "hmm." After a moment, she pointed in the direction leading away from the hallway the stairs were on, "let's go this way." She held on to his hand as they walked down the hallway, looking at everything on the walls.

Carl walked with her, glancing sideways at her every now and then with a grin. "You know, you can tell me if you're scared," he said with a slight smirk. "This creepy old house could scare anyone." Then he reached over to her other side and tickled her side. "Boo," he said loudly in her ear, laughing a little.

Wenny jumped just slightly and then gently elbowed him and laughed when he tried to scare her. "Ha ha, you're funny," she said, playfully glaring at him. "And why would I be scared? I have a big, strong, handsome guy with me," she said, just a slight bit sarcastic, and then grinned.

He looked at her, wide-eyed. "I heard that sarcasm," he said, pretending to be a little hurt. "I just might have to do something about that," he said with a slight smirk. Then he bent down and picked her up in his arms.

"Me? Sarcastic? I think you were imagining it," she said simply, then grinned. When he picked her up, she laughed a little and put her arms around his neck. "This is my favorite place in the world," she said as she kissed his cheek.

"Really? This creepy, damp place is your favorite place in the world?" Carl asked, looking surprised as he looked around the hallway that they were in. Then he looked at her and smirked, knowing what she had meant.

"Of course it is. I mean, who wouldn't love this 'creepy, damp place'?," Wenny asked, returning his smirk.

They walked a little further and discovered a door that looked as if it hadn't been opened in ages. "Ooh, look...let's go see what's in there," she said, eyeing the door with fascination. "Oh, and you can put me down if you'd like."

"Well, why on earth would I want to put you down?" he asked with a small grin before laughing and then setting her back on her feet and then walking with her towards the door. He eyed it for a moment before turning to her, smirking as he put his hand on the door knob. It was completely dusty. He looked at her again and then put his arm out and pushed her behind him. "Step back, my lady, this could get ugly," he said with a grin.

Wenny had to fight not to laugh at his comment and at being pushed behind him. She peeked over his shoulder, pretending to be frightened and then threw her arms around him. "Please be careful, brave Sir!," she said, sniffling a little.

Carl laughed and then looked back at her, acting suddenly serious. "Knock it off, Wenny. This is no time for games," he said, hiding a grin. Then he took his hand off of the knob and then walked behing her and pushed her forward a little. "You first," he said, now pretending to be scared.

Because of him telling her that it was 'no time for games,' Wenny playfully glared at Carl as she watched him walk behind her. When he pushed her a little, she gently elbowed him. "Fine. I'm not scared," she said as she reached over and grabbed the doorknob. She glanced back at him over her shoulder once before opening the door, "Hmph." Though as soon as Wenny stepped through the doorway, she paled.

Carl laughed a little as Wenny elbowed him. He stayed behind her, still pretending to be scared as she opened the door. He closed his eyes tight when the door was opened and put his hand over his eyes for a dramatic effect. Then he laughed a little as he straightened up and stopped his act. But as he stepped into the room behind Wenny, he froze. 


	46. Feather Dusters

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Six: Feather Dusters**

Wenny stood deathly still in the doorway, as if unable to move or even look away from the image infront of her. "Please get rid of it?," she said quietly. She had learned a spell to get rid of boggarts a few years earlier in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but at the moment, she couldn't seem to think of it.

Carl stood there for a moment, staring at the boggart before glancing over at Wenny. He had to force himself to get a grip of his wand as he reached into his cloak and brought it out.

Wenny closed her eyes tight, not wanting to see the image of Carl lying there, on the patch of 'floor' that was all too familiar to her. The floor of the room they had been trapped in barely a day earlier. His eyes were open, the life clearly gone out of them. But even with her eyes closed, she still saw the horrible image in her mind. "Get rid of it! Please?," she said a little stronger, as she hadn't heard Carl speak the countercurse yet.

Carl stared down at his dead body on the ground, his breathing becoming shallow. He slowly put his arm infront of Wenny and pushed her back a little and then stood infront of her. Carl's body changed quickly into Wenny's. He closed his eyes and pointed his wand at the image. "Riddikulus," he said, barely a whisper. The next time he opened his eyes, the image of Wenny's body was gone. He stood there for a moment before turning back to Wenny and putting his arms around her. "It was only a boggart, Wenny, just a boggart" he said quietly, also saying it to himself.

Wenny put her arms around Carl and rested her head on his shoulder, just holding him close for a moment before she nodded slowly. "I know," she said quietly. And she did know. But she also knew that she would never forget the image she had just seen.

Carl closed his eyes and held her for awhile. "I never want to see another boggart again," he said quietly. And he never wanted to let go of Wenny right now either. He took a deep breath and then moved only a little to shake the hair out of his face, but then rested his head back on hers.

"Me either," Wenny said into his shoulder. For some reason, she hadn't expected to see _that._ Most people saw things like spiders or snakes or someone they were afraid of. But to see someone you love so much, lying on the ground dead, Wenny was sure it was quite different. She would even have been able to handle seeing a Death Eater with their wand pointed at her. But, to see _Carl_...like _that_... Thinking about it again made her hold on to Carl a little tighter.

Carl felt Wenny tighten her hold on him and did the same to her. "I love you, Wenny," he said quietly, holding onto her tighter now, "I love you so much." He was surprised to see himself dead as the thing that scared her most, but he wasn't as surprised to see her there when he stepped infront of her. He was actually expecting it, but he knew he'd never be able to get the image out of his mind.

"I love you, too," Wenny said quietly. She held onto him for a few more minutes before pulling away slightly and looking at him, trying to get the previous image out of her mind. "Maybe we should go back now...or go downstairs for a while," she suggested. She really didn't care which, she just wanted to get out of that room.

Carl slowly nodded his head a little. "Yeah, I think so too," he said. He probably wouldn't feel like taking any more walks anymore either, scared to run into another boggart. He continued to hold her for a few more moments before putting his arm around her waist, still holding her close, as he put his wand back up and then walked out to the hall.

"So I guess you saw...," she said quietly, as they walked back towards their rooms. She wondered what he had thought of her boggart and if the boggart had changed once Carl had stood infront of her. Surely it had...which made her wonder what it had changed into. She figured it had probably been Rabastan, or Snape, or maybe even her father.

Carl sighed heavily, not completely sure if he wanted to tell her what he had seen. He knew he could probably lie fairly well with the current state he was in. He laughed a little inside when he thought of telling her that he had seen her father. Though he knew he wouldn't lie to her, but he also didn't want to tell her the truth.

Wenny heard his sigh and looked over at him curiously, "Carl?" She hadn't wanted to ask him directly what his boggart had been, but she had to admit that she _was_ curious. She wasn't completely sure she wanted to know, though...so she tried to change the subject. "Maybe we could go downstairs and you could ask Mrs. Weasley if there's anything she needs _cleaned,"_ she joked, even though it didn't sound much like a joke because she wasn't in much of a joking mood.

"Yeah, maybe," he said quietly. It would take his mind off things for awhile. And he had been glad for the subject change. They walked past their rooms and continued down the stairs towards the kitchen. Now he didn't much care if Wenny's father was still there or not, although he knew he probably wouldn't be since Dray had said earlier that he had things to do.

Wenny walked with Carl down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was bustling around, as usual. Wenny didn't see her father anywhere around, so she hoped that might relax Carl a bit. Though, she was sure neither of them would be very 'relaxed' anytime soon. "Hey, Mrs. Weasley. Would you happen to need any help with anything?"

Mrs. Weasley looked up from dusting what Carl thought had already been dusted at least a few dozen times. "Oh no, dears. There's really nothing," she said, looking between them.

"Mrs. Weasley, I think we'd both really like to help with something. I mean, you've done so much for us by letting us stay here and cooking our meals," he said.

"Well, it's actually the order who's letting you both sta..." she trailed off after seeing their faces. "Well, alright. I'm sure we can find something," she said with a small smile. "There's actually a cabinet in a room that's on this floor that I haven't quite gotten to. I don't think there's much in there, just some old trinkets. But it is a bit dusty," she said.

Wenny wasn't sure if she wanted to be going into any more dusty old rooms in this house, for fear of running into another boggart. But she couldn't necessarily say anything to Mrs. Weasley because the lady would probably ask questions and Wenny didn't feel like answering them. So she simply nodded and looked over at Carl.

Carl gave Wenny a small smile and then followed Mrs. Weasley down the hall and into another room. It was fairly clean, cleaner than some of the other rooms in the house anyways, all except for an extremely dusty cabinet in the corner.

"I don't think there's anything too dangerous in there. Just some simple things. But if you need anything, let me know," she said with a smile before leaving the room and heading back into the kitchen.

Wenny smiled at Mrs. Weasley before she left the room, then turned to Carl. "So we're just supposed to dust this one cabinet?," she asked before cautiously stepping a little closer to it, looking at it curiously. She was almost afraid to touch it, for fear of something jumping out at her or the cabinet being a portkey back to the Death Eater Headquarters or something. Sure, her fears may have been a bit unfounded, but she wasn't really thinking straight at the moment.

Carl shrugged. "I guess so," he said quietly, walking closer to the cabinet. "Come on, Wenny, it's not like there's a boggart inside," he said lightly. If he couldn't figure out some way to make a joke out of it, he was afraid he'd be depressed for days. He walked over to it and opened it. Maybe a bit too quick because alot of dust came out of it, making Carl cough. "Mrs. Weasley wasn't joking when she said this thing was dusty," he said with a slight grin, still coughing a little.

She looked rather unconvinced at his 'boggart' comment, but then laughed slightly at his comment about the cabinet being dusty. Wenny stepped a little closer to the cabinet, so that she was standing beside Carl. "I wonder who this stuff belongs to?," she asked, looking at,but not touching, the items in the cabinet.

"Probably Sirius Black's mother," he said. Lupin had told him who this house belonged to, although Carl had never met Sirius. He looked at the contents, noticing most of the things inside had the Black family crest on it. He looked at everything curiously for a moment. Mrs. Weasley thought it wouldn't hurt, so he picked up one of the things inside the cabinet. It was silver and was just as dusty as the rest.

Being as she hadn't really known much of the happenings of Harry Potter and his friends, the only thing Wenny knew about Sirius Black was that he had escaped Azkaban and had never been found. "This is Sirius Black's house?," she asked a bit surprised and unnerved.

She saw Carl pick up something out of the cabinet and was relieved when it seemed that nothing had happened to him yet. "What is that?," she asked, looking over at it.

Carl nodded his head towards her first question and grinned a little when he found she was a little uneasy at the idea. Then he studied the object in his hands a little more. He could just barely tell what it was with all the dust that had piled on it. "Looks like some sort of box," he said. He knew he didn't want to open it, but he couldn't find how anyway.

Then Mrs. Weasley walked in with a large garbage bag and handed it to Wenny. "You dears can put all those dreadful things in this bag and we'll get rid of it," she said with a smile before turning to leave and go back to the kitchen.

Wenny watched as Mrs. Weasley left and then turned back to Carl, "well...I guess we put that in here." She couldn't help but grin a little. "Unless...nah, we better not. Here, put that in here," she said, holding out the trashbag towards Carl. The little box was rather curious and she'd love to see what was inside of it, but at the same time...she knew little boxes could hold rather large secrets and she wasn't sure she wanted to risk it.

Carl continued looking at the box for another few moments. He began to think of Pandora because it seemed like the box was calling his name, however cliche that was. He finally shook his head a little and then put the little box inside of the bag. He went back to the cabinet and grabbed a silver picture frame. It had a moving picture of somebody, but he couldn't quite make out who because of all the dust.

"Who is that of?," Wenny asked, spotting the picture Carl was holding. She leaned over and blew some of the dust off of it, causing dust to fly around them...which then caused her to sneeze. "Goodness," she said with a laugh before reaching over and wiping the remaining dust off of the picture. She leaned a little closer to get a better view, "do you recognize them?"

Carl laughed as the dust flew around them and he coughed a little more. He looked down at the picture in the frame and quit laughing. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's my uncle, or who I thought was my uncle," he said quietly. "It's Rodolphus," he clarified, "Rabastan's brother." He sighed before putting the photograph in the bag.

"Oh," Wenny said, not sure what else to say. After a few moments, she said "I'm sorry, Carl." His father situation was like a much more extreme case of what she had been through when she first started Hogwarts. Going from having a father to practically not having one. Though, fortunately, she had gotten hers back...well, _unfortunately_ at the moment. She knew Carl would never get his back, however. Even if he, by some chance, _wanted_ his father back. Though, she doubted that.

"Don't be, Wenny," Carl said quietly. "You really shouldn't apogize for something that you didn't do," he said with a small smile as he turned back to the cabinet. "Now lets see else what we have in here," he said slowly, studying the contents again. He hoped it would help him get his mind back on the cabinet, but it really didn't much. He pulled out another object that looked rather odd. He held it so Wenny could see it. "Any idea what this is?" he asked her.

Wenny took the small object from Carl and turned it around in her hand a few times, "hmm...I'm not sure. Looks like some kind of...key?" It had a rather odd shape, but was a bit slender as a key might be, with little grooves along one side. "Wonder what it goes to?," she said, looking at it closely.

He watched Wenny studying it and then looked at it closely. Then a slight grin grew on his face. "Think we should throw it away?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow a little. Who knows if they might actually find out what it went to?

She glanced towards the door, to be sure Mrs. Weasley wasn't about to walk in. "No, let's keep it. It might give us something _safe_ to do with our time," she replied with a slight smirk. Then she looked back at the key thing, wondering what a key like that might go to.

"Good," Carl said with a wide grin, glad that she agreed not to throw it away. "May I?" he asked politely before taking the key from her and then sticking it in his pocket. He knew that that key could probably get them into trouble, but his curiousity always got the better of him.

Wenny watched Carl pocket the key and grinned. "Let's just hope that it's not like...Oh, I don't know, a closet full of boggarts or something," she said with a slight grin. Though, she knew it could possibly be something even worse. How something could be worse than a boggart, she wasn't sure.

"Yeah, I don't think I would like that very much," he said with a grin. He stopped himself from saying _seeing myself dead once was enough._ "Then I think I might regret keeping this key then," he said as he turned back to the cabinet to see what else he could find. It wasn't much. Just some more pictures of the Black family. He was glad there wasn't really any of the Lestranges.

"Me either," she said, trying not to think about the boggart's image. "And well, it is a pretty cool looking key. Maybe we could just keep it...kind of like a souvenir or something."

Wenny held open the trashbag. "I guess we should go ahead and dump all of this stuff," she said, "so we can start hunting down whatever that key goes to." She wasn't sure they should actually _open_ whatever it was, but it might be fun to explore. She just _really_ hoped they didn't come across any more boggarts.

Carl nodded his head. "Yeah, that sounds like fun," he said with a grin as he put the last of the contents of the cabinet into the bag. He looked into the now empty cabinet, slightly less dusty than it had been when he had first opened it. "Well, I ain't dusting it with my hands," he said with a slight grin as he stood up and dusted himself off a little.

"Scared of getting your hands dusty?," she teased. That reminded her of the night they met and him asking her about breaking a nail. "I'll go ask Mrs. Weasley for her feather duster," she said, "unless you can transfigure one out of something." Transfiguration interested Wenny, but she wasn't particularly good at it.

Carl thought for a moment as he looked around the room. He saw a very short and dusty broom in the corner. He shrugged as he pulled out his wand. "Worth a try," he said and then pointed his wand at the broom before muttering a spell. He walked over to it and picked it up and almost had to laugh. The feathers at the end looked like peacock feathers.

Wenny laughed a bit, "well, I guess you didn't specify what _kind_ of feather duster you wanted." She took it from him and started dusting off the cabinet, occasionally glancing over at him with a grin. "It works," she said simply.

Carl couldn't help it when his cheeks turned slightly pink, and he shook his hair more into his face to hide it. So transfiguring had never been his best subject. He probably got what he was best at, Potions, from Snape. But the thought gave him an uncomfortable chill, so he pushed it from his mind and then walked over to Wenny. He kissed her on the cheek as she dusted before picking up the now heavy trash bag.

Wenny smiled as she felt Carl kiss her cheek, then watched him pick up the trashbag. "I guess we just give that to Mrs. Weasley," Wenny said as she continued to dust the cabinet. When she was finished, she set the feather duster down, "we can worry about transfiguring that back later. Come on." She grabbed the hem of his shirt and started leading him out of the room, glancing back and grinning at him. "We've finished, Mrs. Weasley," Wenny called out as they entered the kitchen area.

Carl looked back at his pathetic feather duster before they left the room. He carried the trashbag with him as Wenny was dragging him along. They entered the kitchen and Carl didn't see Mrs. Weasley anywhere. "Maybe she's cleaning some other part of the house," he suggested, shrugging a little. "I guess we could just leave this here," he said, setting the bag next to the counter. Then he turned back to Wenny. "Soo, Mrs. Weasley isn't currently here for us to ask if we can do anything else, and your father's Merlin knows where," he said, smirking a little.

Wenny pretended that she had no idea what he could possibly be thinking, "Yeah, it's odd, isn't it? I hope they come back soon. It's really not very wise of them to leave us here all alone like this." She had to fight to hide a grin. "Maybe we should go upstairs and lock ourselves in our rooms, just incase."

Carl couldn't hide his grin. "Yeah, you know, that's probably a good idea," he said, nodding his head a little. "We better hurry, too," he said, taking her hand and then starting towards the stairs. He'd play along as long as she could, which he found himself hoping wouldn't be long.

"You're right, we should. 'Cause the longer we're out here, the longer we're in danger," she said seriously, still fighting not to grin or laugh as they quickly walked up the stairs. They reached the hallway outside of their rooms and she turned to him and kissed him. "Yours or mine?," she asked, no longer hiding her grin.

Carl's grin widened as he returned her kiss. "I don't care," he said quietly against her lips. He put his hand on the door knob of one of their doors and opened it. It turned out to be his room. They went inside and he closed the door behind them and then continued kissing Wenny.

As soon as Carl had closed the door, Wenny pulled away just enough to reach over and lock it. She knew it really wouldn't do any good, though. If Dray happened to come back and find them both missing and Carl's door locked, he'd know exactly what was going on. Not to mention that he was a rather skilled wizard and would be able to unlock the door with one word. But, it might give them a one or two second notice. She turned back to Carl and grinned before continuing their kiss.

Carl grinned as he kept kissing her and started to walk over to the bed. He laid her down on the bed before deepening the kiss. "I love you, Wenny," he said softly after a moment against her lips and then continued the kiss.

Wenny gave him a small smile before continuing the kiss. She loved hearing him say that. She reached up with one hand and ran her fingers through his hair, leaving her fingers in his hair on the back of his neck. "I love you, too," she said quietly.

Carl broke the kiss for a moment as he laid down on the bed next to her and smiled at her. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and looked at her for a few moments before smiling and then kissing her softly and then deepening it.

Wenny gently placed her other hand on Carl's cheek and grinned against his lips. 


	47. The Key & The Box

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Seven: The Key & The Box**

A little while later, Wenny woke up with Carl's arms around her. She put her arms on his and smiled as she glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still sleeping or not.

Carl looked down at her and smiled. "Hey, sleepyhead," he said with a grin as he kissed her forehead. He took her hand in hers and played with her fingers a little.

Wenny smiled, "I didn't sleep too long, did I?" As much as she didn't want to think about it, the thought that her father might be back and possibly come looking for them made her a little nervous. As upset as her father had gotten when she and Carl had been simply kissing, she knew Dray would be furious if he had any idea what they had just done.

Carl shook his head a little. "No, it wasn't too long," he said with a smile as he moved his hand up to her hair and played with the ends for a little bit. He knew they couldn't stay in the locked room for long, even though he wanted to.

"I guess we should get up now," she suggested with a slight frown. She really didn't want to. She would've loved to have stayed right there until they had to go back to Hogwarts. But she knew that if her father happened to walk in the room this moment, Carl would practically be thrown out of the house. Or worse. But she didn't want to think about that. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and then yawned.

Carl gave her a small smile and then nodded his head a little. He watched her for a moment, grinning at her yawn. "Well, I guess it was good that you got at least some sleep before tonight," he said with a small smirk as he sat up in the bed a little.

Wenny looked up at him innocently, "Why? What's happening tonight?" She reached up and tucked some of his hair behind his ear, then put her hand on his cheek, still looking at him rather innocently. Teasing him was so much fun.

He narrowed his eyes playfully at her and then turned his head towards her hand and then kissed her palm. "_Tonight_ we will be in our own separate rooms. And well, I don't know about you, but I can sleep rather well," he said with a small grin.

"Oh yeah...I forgot about that," she said with a sigh. Then realized what he said about being able to sleep and narrowed _her_ eyes at _him,_ "hmph. I doubt I'll have any problems sleeping either." She pursed her lips and turned away from him, then glanced over at him and grinned.

Carl laughed a little as he leaned over her. "Good," he said quietly, grinning before kissing the back of her neck for a few moments. Of course, he knew he would be getting little or no sleep that night.

Wenny laughed a little as she lifted her shoulder towards her neck, "that tickles." She didn't want him to stop, though, so she reached back and pulled all of her hair over her shoulder, leaving her neck exposed to his kisses.

He laughed a little. "Oh, trust me, that doesn't tickle," he said with a slight grin as he moved his hand down to her waist and tickled her a little, but also continued kissing her neck.

She wiggled a little when he started tickling her side, "Carl!" She reached down to grab his hand. "Don't make me pinch you," she threatened with a laugh.

Carl laughed and then stopped kissing her neck, but continued to tickle her side. "Ok, ok. I'll stop kissing you then. Goodness," he said with a grin, pretending like he hadn't known what she had meant.

"Ha ha, very funny," Wenny said, playfully glaring at him and still trying to make him stop tickling her side. "But actually...maybe that's a good idea. No more kissing," she said with a smirk.

"Hmm..." he said, glaring playfully. He stopped tickling her and then pulled her back to face him before kissing her lips rather deeply. "You can't deny me a kiss," he said with a smirk.

Wenny looked at him a bit surprised. "Oh yes I can. You just wait," she said, "'cause that one doesn't count." She went back to playfully glaring at him and then laughed.

Carl laughed before laying back on the pillow, putting his arms behind his head, and closing his eyes. "It's alright. I can wait until you decide to stop denying me kisses," he said with a slight smirk although she hadn't really pushed him away as of now.

She watched him for a moment and then smirked, "and what if I don't stop 'denying you kisses'...?" Of course, she couldn't deny him forever. She loved his kisses too much for that. But it was fun teasing him about it.

He propped himself up on his elbow and watched her for a few moments. "Well, that's your call, isn't it?" he said, hiding another smirk as he continued to look at her.

"Yep," Wenny answered, still smirking at him. He was right, though, she wouldn't be able to deny him any kisses. But she was sure going to try. "Oh, but...I do owe you something," she said, putting her hand on his cheek and leaning in as if she were about to kiss him. Then she pinched his cheek and laughed, "that's for tickling me."

Carl's jaw dropped in shock. "Oh, that was cruel," he said as he started to glare at her, but then had to grin. He rubbed his cheek as if it had hurt him and kept his gaze on her. After a moment, he sighed and looked towards the door, knowing they had to leave soon.

"Awwww, I'm sorry," she said with a playful frown, putting her hand on his hand and then laughing. She saw him gaze toward the door and sighed as well. She knew what he was thinking, that they shouldn't risk being found together any longer...and she knew he was right. She sat up and then moved to the edge of the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a playful smile before wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her back to him and then kissing her on the neck for a moment. Then he sat up a bit more. "Ok, now we can go," he said with a grin.

Wenny laughed, "now how am I supposed to deny you kisses if you keep doing things like that?" If he kept doing things like that, they might as well plan on getting caught because she'd never want to leave that spot.

"That's the idea," Carl said before kissing her cheek and then moving over to the edge of the bed to sit beside her. He smiled at her before putting his hand on her cheek and then kissing her softly on the lips. "Now deny me that," he said with a grin.

Wenny rolled her eyes, "you're impossible." She kissed him once more before standing up, "I wonder if anyone is back yet?" Not that she really cared, but she was a bit curious. "If not, we can go exploring for whatever it is that that key goes to."

"I don't know," he said as he sat on the bed for another moment, watching her. "But where exactly would you propose we start?" he asked her with a grin. "The key might not even go to anything inside the house," he added as he, too, then stood up.

"Oh yeah, you're right. I hadn't thought about that. Hmm," she said, running a hand through her hair. She turned to look at him, "well, we can still look, I suppose. In that room with the cabinet, did you notice anything that might have a keylock?"

Carl thought for a moment and then shook his head a little. "Not that I can remember," he said, still thinking a little as he looked towards the wall. Then he looked back at her and smiled. "But you're right. There's no harm in looking," he said.

"What about in the room...we were in earlier...?," Wenny asked, referring to the room they had seen the boggart in. She hadn't really noticed anything in the room other than the boggart, but maybe he had. "We could go back and look in there. It might be a good place to start...?," she suggested. Since he had gotten rid of the horrible creature, it couldn't hurt. Right?

He felt himself shiver only a little at the mention of that earlier room, trying to block out the thought of the boggart's image, but then nodded his head a little. "Yeah, that could be a good idea," he said with a small smile.

"Ok, well...come on then," Wenny said, making sure she looked ok and then took his hand and pulled him towards the door. She turned towards him and gave him one more kiss before opening the door.

They walked down the hallway towards the room they had seen the boggart in and when they reached it, Wenny looked at Carl, "So who wants to open the door this time?"

Carl took a step infront of her. "Allow me, my lady," he said, standing tall and puffing out his chest. He put his hand on the knob. _'What else could possibly be in this room that's worse than a boggart?'_ he thought as he turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Wenny laughed as she watched Carl's display of masculinity. "I thank you, kind sir," she said, putting her shoulders back, so that she had proper posture. Though they were playing around, she couldn't help but be a little nervous as he opened the door. She peeked around him cautiously, hoping the room would be clear. She wasn't sure she'd be able to survive seeing another boggart.

Carl looked into the room cautiously and then smiled. "We must brave the inside of this room, my dear lady," he said, stepping inside the room and then turning back to her and holding out his hand and bowing his head. The room had a table and a couple of cabinets almost like the one in the downstair room, and the room was equally or more dusty.

She cleared her throat to keep from laughing as she took his hand and stepped inside the room. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. No boggart. "Hmm, there are a few cabinets like the one we found the key in. Think maybe we might find something in one of them?," she asked, glancing around the room. It might be a good start at least.

"No harm in looking," he said with a shrug as he walked over to one of the cabinets and opening it. As what happened with the last one he opened, dust came flying out, suffocating Carl as he coughed. He fanned some of the dust away out of the air as he looked into the cabinet.

"Didn't you learn the last time?," she teased, laughing. She walked over closer to the cabinet and looked in. There seemed to be lots of little trinkets and such, and even a few pieces of jewelry, but nothing that seemed large enough to require a key. "Well, on to the next one, I guess."

Carl nodded and walked over to another cabinet. Then he raised his eyebrow and took a step back, bringing out his wand. "I got it this time," he said with a smirk as he flicked his wand. The cabinet door opened, sending dust everywhere, but Carl was a few feet away from it. He put his wand back in his pocket and grinning proudly as he walked over to the opened cabinet.

Wenny couldn't help but laugh a little at Carl's proud expression, "very good!" She stepped over to the cabinet as well and started looking at the contents, once all the dust had settled. Like the previous cabinet, there were lots of little whatnots and trinkets, but nothing that looked as if it might require a key. Wenny sighed. Maybe Carl had been right. Maybe whatever the mysterious key went to wasn't in the house.

Carl sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair as he looked at Wenny. "So what now?" he asked, a bit disappointed. Although, he hadn't exactly expected for them to find anything in the first room they looked in.

"Hmmm...I don't know," Wenny said with a sigh as she glanced around the room. She had almost suggested that they go to another room, when she saw what seemed to be some type of chest over in a far corner. "What's this?," she wondered aloud, as she walked over to it. There did seem to be some kind of keylock on the front of it, "I think this might be it."

Carl walked over to the chest and looked down at it. He took out the key from his pocket and looked at it. He looked from the keylock on the chest to the key a few times. "Hmm," he said thoughtful. It looked like it could work. He was curious as to what was in the chest, but he had to admit that he was also a little nervous to open it. Who knew what could be inside.

"Should we open it?," Wenny asked, watching Carl. In the wizarding world, you never knew what you might find in a random chest such as this one. And, if this house was any indication, it was sure to be something rather dark. "Maybe we should just ask someone about it first?," she suggested.

He thought for a few moments as he stared at the chest, devoloping a slight smirk. "It's just a chest, right? What could possibly be in it?" he asked. Maybe his curiousity was dangerous sometimes, but he was very curious to know what was in this chest. And seriously, how dangerous could it be? Although, maybe he wasn't thinking straight either.

Wenny gave Carl a look of disbelief. "This is the wizarding world, _anything_ could be in it," she said, looking back over to the chest. "Boggarts sometimes hide in chests such as this one, but I really doubt someone would go to all of this trouble just for a boggart." She stepped a little closer to the chest and knelt down, tracing her finger along the edge.

Carl knelt down next to Wenny and continued to stare at the chest. It was almost as if the chest was speaking to him, telling him to open it. He put his fingers on the keylock and then looked back to the key.

Wenny glanced between Carl and the chest, "are you going to open it?" She wasn't sure they should, but the curiosity was about to kill her. What could possibly be in there? And why would someone go to the trouble of keeping the key in a separate room and having the chest guarded by a boggart? Assuming the boggart was guarding the chest, of course.

Carl glanced over at Wenny for a moment and then back at the chest. "I don't know if we should," he said quietly, staring at the chest, almost mesmerized by it.

"Oh, come on," Wenny said, reaching over to take the key from him. She inserted the key and turned it, hearing the lock click open. She looked over at Carl for a moment. It was unlocked, but hadn't been opened yet. They could simply relock it and leave, if they wanted to. But did they want to?

Carl couldn't help but smile as Wenny took the key from him and unlocked the chest. Although, he got a little nervous then. "Together?" he asked with a mischievious grin on his face as he put his hand on the lid of the chest.

Wenny nodded, "on three." She gave him a slight grin as she counted off, "one...two...three." They lifted the lid and Wenny peered down into the chest. It was practically empty except for one very small item lying in the very center. Wenny gave Carl a curious glance, "That's it?"

Carl looked down into the chest and then back up to Wenny. He shrugged and then looked back at the object in the chest. "What is that?" he asked curiously. He was a little cautious about picking it up, but he couldn't quite tell what the item was exactly.

"I don't know...it looks like another one of those little boxes like we saw in that other room," Wenny said. This situation was getting more curious by the moment. "Maybe there's something in it?," she asked, reaching in to pick it up. As soon as she did, she felt the familiar sensation of being pulled by her navel.

When she landed with a thud a moment later, Wenny slowly opened her eyes, rather nervous of where she might find herself. She let out a small gasp as she glanced around the all too familiar room. She was back at the Death Eater Headquarters. And this time, she didn't have Carl with her. 


	48. Trapped

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Trapped**

"WENNY!" Carl yelled as he saw her disappear with the box that she had pulled from the chest. He sat there for a moment, his heart racing, and then looked back in the chest, hoping there would be something else, but found nothing. He stood up quickly, trying to think of what he could possibly do that could get her back right now. He ran out of the room and down the stairs, tripping over a step every now and then. He jumped the last few ones and ran into the kitchen. "MRS. WEASLEY!" he yelled, a bit out of breath as he saw her in the kitchen. "Mrs. Weasley! Where's Mr. Gytha!?"

"Why, he's-," Mrs. Weasley began, but she was interrupted by Dray. "Right here," Dray said, walking over to Carl. He noticed how panicked the boy appeared, "what's wrong, Carl?"

How could Wenny have been so stupid as to grab the box? She should have known better! She had been nervous about what had been in the chest, but never once stopped to consider the small box being a portkey. She slowly stood up and walked over to the far corner of the room and sat down. Maybe none of the Death Eaters knew she was here. And Carl was most likely trying to find her at this very moment. She tried telling herself that everything was going to be fine, that Carl would find her soon and take her back to Grimmauld Place, but she wasn't so sure she would be that lucky this time.

"Mr. Gytha!" Carl yelled as he saw him and then ran over to him. "I'm so sorry. It's Wenny. She...We found this key that opened a chest and then there was a box and she picked it up. I shouldn't have let her, Sir. But it must have been a portkey, because she...she disappeared," he said very quickly, watching Dray closely, hoping he had understood him so he wouldn't have to take even more time to explain.

Lucius heard the thump. He couldn't have planned it better, sitting in the room right underneath the upstairs room. He smirked to himself. Now all he had to do was wait for Dray and the boy, although he hoped he could have a little fun first.

Dray cursed under his breath and quickly turned to Mrs. Weasley, "I'm going to take a look at this chest and if it's the one I'm thinking of, then Carl and I are going to take a little trip. We'll return later. With Wenny." He turned back to Carl, "now where is this chest?"

Wenny sat still in the locked room, trying to relax herself by taking slow, deep breaths. It was only a matter of time before someone found her and 'rescued' her from this horrible place. She just needed to stay calm. Everything was going to be fine. No matter how many times she tried to reassure herself, she kept thinking of the alternatives. And she knew they were all too possible.

Carl took a deep breath. "It's upstairs," he said and then ran up the steps and back towards the room. How could he have been so stupid to open a chest in this creepy old house? He cursed at himself mentally for allowing this to happen.

Lucius sat in the large empty room, watching the fire, and twirling his wand. There were a few other Death Eaters in the other room. They had all been told not to go up into the room once the girl arrived, but he began wondering he could get past the others anyway.

Dray followed Carl upstairs and into the room where the chest was. As soon as he saw it, he cursed again. "I was afraid of this," he said, turning to Carl. "We have to hurry. Follow me," he instructed. He led Carl downstairs and out the front door, then promptly grabbed Carl's hand and apparated them both to right outside of the DE Headquarters.

Wenny happened to glance down and saw the small map her father had drawn the last time they were in this room. She wished she had a way of escaping this time. Unfortunately, since Carl most likely had no idea of her current location...and since her father hadn't been at Grimmauld Place when she left, she had no secret escape plan this time. She would simply have to deal with whatever happened on her own. That thought made her extremely nervous, so she took another slow, deep breath.

Carl had followed Dray outside and then closed his eyes when Dray grabbed his hand, knowing what was going to happen next. Then he felt that familiar feeling of being pulled from his place on the ground.

Lucius decided to give it a try as he stood up and then walked past the room with about three or four other Death Eaters and then up the stairs. He opened the door into the room and saw Wenny. He smirked and then closed the door behind him. "We've been expecting you," he said as he returned his gaze to her, still smirking and holding his wand at his side.

"Come on," Dray said, starting towards the front doors of the Headquarters, "they're probably holding her in the same room you guys were in last time." He casually opened the door for Carl.

Wenny quickly looked up when she heard the door opened and her breath caught when she saw Lucius. She knew that if she spoke, he would be able to tell how terrified she was...and she wasn't about to give him that pleasure. She simply watched him, glaring slightly.

Carl nodded his head at Dray and then walked inside. He took out his wand and held it firmly at his side. He was a little more confident in this place now that he had his wand and knew Dray was on his side, although he still was nervous. "If anyone hurts Wenny, I swear they'll regret it," he muttered through clenched teeth as he looked around.

Lucius just simply grinned at Wenny's glare and held up his wand at her. "Now I know you've suffered the Cruciatus Curse before, but lets just see how long you can take it," he said with a slight smirk as he waited for his threat to sink in.

"Don't worry, they're not going to hurt her, Carl," Dray said, leading Carl up to the room. He glanced over and saw one of the Death Eaters on the other side of the corridor and one corner of his mouth slowly turned up into a small smirk.

Wenny was starting to panic. People went insane when being under the cruciatus curse for longer than a few moments. Was Lucius seriously going to do this to her? She already knew the answer to that one. Of course he was. She glanced away from him, silently wishing Carl or her father or someone, anyone, would come in the room before Lucius had a chance to utter the curse.

Carl nodded his head again and gripped his wand tighter. "They better not," he muttered under his breath as they started up the stairs.

Lucius gave a small quiet laugh when Wenny looked away. "You know what? I want my prey to be standing and facing me," he said. He said the Imperius curse in his head, forcing Wenny to stand on her feet and turn her head to look at him. "That's better," he said with a smirk.

Dray and Carl reached the room and Dray muttered the curses to unlock the door. He opened the door and immediately walked in, "Lucius! You were ordered not to harm her. Did you not remember that?"

Wenny still didn't want to make things easy for the man, so even though he forced her to face him, she turned her eyes away from him. Then she heard the door open and let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw her father step into the room. But then she heard his comment and looked at him rather curiously. How would he know what orders Lucius had?

Carl would have smiled to see Wenny, but seeing Lucius with his wand pointed at her stopped him from doing so. He pointed his wand at Lucius and then Dray's comment make him look over at him curiously.

Lucius lowered his wand and turned to Dray and bowed his head a little. "I am sorry, Gytha. I was not going to harm her," he said honestly. He had just wanted to scare her a little. Then he saw Carl with his wand pointed at him and quickly said, "Expelliarmus," making Carl's wand go flying across the room.

Dray watched Lucius for a moment, "very well." He watched Lucius disarm Carl and then grabbed Carl's arm and pulled him further into the room. "So, you guys were just as curious as we had expected," he said, smirking slightly.

Wenny saw Carl and smiled slightly. The situation was not good, but at least he was there, which always made things a bit better regardless. But then she quickly turned to look at her father, "what did you just say?"

"Oh, Wenny, please. You heard me. We figured you two wouldn't be able to pass up discovering 'hidden treasure,' and we were right. You're much too curious for your own good, as you now know, I'm sure," he replied. "I must say it was rather genius to suggest to Mrs. Weasley to tell you to dust that cabinet, after having hidden the key there."

Carl just stood there, looking from up to Dray then to Wenny, his jaw hanging slightly open. He started to try to get out of Dray's grasp, but gave up after a moment. First he had been as stupid as to open a chest out of curiousity and now to come back with Dray, who he thought would have helped. "You mean..." he started after a few moments, trailing off. What surprised him most was that he had brought his own daughter here with Death Eaters in the place.

"That we planned this whole thing? Yes, that's what he means," Lucius said with a smirk, glaring at Carl. Then he looked up at Dray with a questioning expression, wondering why it was that he had planned this in the first place as he had not told him.

Wenny heard her father, but had a hard time believing what she was hearing. He had _planned_ this? "But you were the one who helped us escape last time? Why would you do that just to bring us back a few days later?," she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, I had to make you two trust me somehow, didn't I?," Dray asked, glancing between the two teens. "Now, I'm sure you both remember that Rabastan has been looking for an opportunity to..._speak_ to Carl about the things he knows. Things that I'm sure he has told you, as _close_ as you two are," he added.

Carl glared up at Dray. "I haven't told her anything. And you do know that Rabastan's just going to do to her what he is to me, right? And you're just going to let him kill your own daughter?" he said, as he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Carl then elbowed Dray in the gut and got himself out of his grasp and started to run over to Wenny.

Lucius held out his hand, making Carl run into it and fall to the ground with a bloody nose. He pointed his wand down at him and glared at him. "And where do you think you were going?" he asked coldly.

Dray sneered at Carl, "she stopped being my daughter when the sorting hat deemed her too weak for Slytherin." He suddenly felt Carl's elbow and had started to grab the boy, but saw him knocked down by Lucius. "Really, Carl. You're not going to have much fun with us if you continue to do things like that."

Wenny heard her father's comment and sighed. _That_ was the Dray Gytha she knew. She had been stupid to think he had changed so quickly. She saw Lucius trip Carl and immediately ran over to him, "Leave him alone!"

Lucius held out his arm and then grabbed Wenny by the waist with one hand, but kept his wand at Carl.

Carl sat up a little, holding his nose and wiping some blood off. He glared at Lucius and then Dray. "Fun? Is that why we're here? To have _fun?"_ he asked as he began to stand up and then looked from Lucius's wand still pointed at him then back to Dray.

"Well, of course," Dray answered, "though, I'm sure we'll be having more fun than you will, but...fun is fun, right?" He smirked at Carl and then turned to Lucius. "We need to get things ready, so let's leave them for a bit." He turned back to Carl, "it's just too bad there's no one to 'rescue' you guys this time, isn't it?"

Wenny tried elbowing Lucius when he grabbed her. "Get away from me," she said, glaring at him.

Carl glared at Dray, but immediately thought about Snape. He rolled his eyes mentally at himself. Snape coming to save the day was a rather humorous picture. He turned to Lucius. "Let her go," he said through clenched teeth.

"Gladly," the blonde replied nastily. He let go of Wenny and pushed her a little and then nodded his head in Dray's direction.

"We'll be back shortly. Behave yourselves," Dray said, smirking once more at Carl before opening the door and walking out of the room.

When she felt herself being pushed by Lucius, Wenny turned around and started to say something, but figured she better not, as she didn't want him retaliating. She waited until Dray and Lucius left the room and then turned to Carl. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault," she said. Once again, they were trapped in this room and just like last time, it was her fault.

Carl turned to her and shook his head. "I swear, Wenny, if I have to hear any more of this blaming yourself crap..." he said angrily, trailing off. But then he sighed, immediately feeling guilty for snapping at her. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I guess getting a bloody nose yet again is a bit annoying. But please don't blame yourself," he said quietly.

Wenny watched him for a moment, a bit surprised by his comment, then walked across the room and sat back down where she had been when Lucius had walked in. It _was_ her fault. She wasn't just saying that to be annoying. If she hadn't stupidly reached in and grabbed that little box, they wouldn't be here. She didn't understand what was wrong with her apologizing for it.

Carl sighed again and ran his hand through his hair. He could feel some of the blood drying, but didn't feel like trying to wipe it away. And he could tell that Wenny still blamed herself. He walked over to her and knelt down infront of her. "Please," he begged. "Please don't blame yourself, because it's not your fault." But he doubted this would work since it hadn't in the past.

After a moment, he sighed again. "Alright, if I tell you that it's all your fault and you're the reason that we're here, and if I say that I don't care and I don't blame you, can you get over it?" he asked her, hoping this would work. Because it wasn't her fault. If he hadn't been curious enough to keep the key, they wouldn't have opened that chest.

Wenny just watched Carl as he talked to her, then nodded slowly. Though to be honest, she didn't particularly like him asking her to 'get over it.' How could she 'get over' being the reason they were trapped yet again in the Death Eaters Headquarters and possibly about to be murdered?

Carl stood up and ran his hand through his hair again. He wasn't as scared as last time even though he knew he should be. He was more angry, furious more to say. He hit the wall hard with a fist in his fury and then winced as he shook his hand. He felt like he could kill Rabastan for putting him through this so many times. Then he walked over to the door. There had to be a way to open it. He kicked it hard, but just ended up hurting his foot.

"Carl!," Wenny said rather strongly, "injuring yourself is not going to help our situation any." She stood up and walked over to him and used the hem of her sleeve to wipe some of the blood off of his face. "By the way, thank you for coming to save me," she said, in an attempt to calm them both down a bit. Though, she knew that was hopeless.

Carl gave her a small smile and thought for a moment. "There has to be some way out of this, Wenny," he said desperately. "Last time it was your father. But who's going to help us this time?," he said. He had thought about it and came up with: Who would go into Death Eater headquarters to save a couple of kids? The answer was _no one._ They were all probably just sitting around hoping that he and Wenny found a way out themselves. "I'm determine to get us both out of here," he said after a moment. He turned back to the door and pulled on the handle. If he pushed or pulled hard enough, maybe he could break the door, or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Wenny _really_ didn't like hearing Carl suggest that no one would help them...because that meant... Well, she didn't want to think about what that meant. So maybe he was right, there _had_ to be a way out of that room. Unfortunately, since they were both wandless...wait a second, no one had come to disarm her when she first arrived. But she couldn't possibly still have her wand, though. That was almost too much to hope for. Right? She reached into her pocket and looked up at Carl wide-eyed as she pulled out her wand.

A wide grin spread across Carl's face. He kissed Wenny deeply. "I knew there was a reason I still kept you around," he teased as he hugged her for a moment. 


	49. Sunlight

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Sunlight**

Carl looked over at the door. "Would you happen to have heard the curses that those guys muttered to unlock the door?" he asked her as he glanced at her and then back at the door, deep in thought. He knew he should have paid more attention just incase, and now he was regretting it.

Wenny playfully rolled her eyes at his first comment, then closed her eyes, trying to remember what she had heard Rabastan say as they had waited close to the door, ready to run out the last time they were in this room. Unfortunately, hearing a spell muttered through a rather thick door did not help in matters of pronunciation, which was extremely important in casting spells.

She pointed her wand at the door and tried to repeat what she had heard, but instead of hearing the door unlocking, she heard silence. It hadn't worked. "I'm sorry," she said. She closed her eyes again, trying to figure out what word she might've mispronounced.

Carl shook his head. "Don't be sorry," he said, running his hand through his hair yet again. He had been on the opposite side of the door when Dray had cast the spell just a few minutes earlier, but he hadn't been paying close enough attention. He leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground, putting his head in his hands and thinking. He thought of the spell Wenny had said and then tried to tie it into what Dray had said.

After a few moments, he stood up quickly with a smile on his face. "May I?" he asked as he took her wand and pointed it at the door. He muttered the curse, hoping it was right, and then heard an unlocking noise. He smiled as he handed Wenny's wand back to her.

Wenny grinned and gave Carl a big hug. They actually might be able to escape. Though, she couldn't help but wonder if everything was happening too easily for them. What if it were some kind of trap? The Death Eaters make them believe they have a chance of escape, only to be waiting for them at the exit. No, she refused to think like that. They _could_ and _would_ escape this. Though she knew that the riskiest and most difficult part was still ahead: getting out of the building without being caught.

Carl smiled and then took her hand. "Come on. And keep your wand close," he said quietly as he opened the door slowly, peeking out. When he didn't see anything or anyone, he walked out and then closed the door silently behind them. He took a corner and started the way that had been drawn on the map for them. But since it had been Dray who gave them that, could there possibly be Death Eaters guarding it?

Wenny took a few deep breaths to calm herself as they walked out into the corridor. Her heart had been beating so loudly in her chest that she was sure it would alert all of the Death Eaters that they had gotten out of the room, and she was holding on to her wand so tightly that if one were to look at her hand, her knuckles would surely be white.

Even though she hated to think that way, she was still wondering if this was a trap. Why had no one come to disarm her immediately after she arrived? Both her father and Lucius had been in the room with them at one point and still, neither one thought to disarm her? And how had she and Carl actually gotten outside of the room without even seeing one single Death Eater in the area? No, she definitely did not have a good feeling about this.

Wenny glanced around as they turned the corner and then had a thought. Perhaps they should take an alternate route just to be 'safe.' _'As safe as one can be in Death Eater Headquarters,'_ Wenny thought. She squeezed Carl's hand a bit and then motioned towards a corridor turning off of their current one. She wondered if he would agree that an alternate route might be a better bet.

Carl looked down at their hands and then back up at Wenny. He looked down the hall she was motioning to and then back at their current one. He looked back and forth for a few moments before nodding his head and then making a turn to head down the opposite hallway. That would probably be a better idea than continuing on the path that the man who was helping to get them both killed had given them.

Then he realized he hadn't talked to Wenny about her father like he should have. He couldn't even imagine how she felt right now. Well, he sort of could. But it wasn't exactly like his father situation. He wanted to talk to Wenny about it, but he knew it wouldn't be very wise to stop in the middle of a hallway in the Death Eaters headquarters to talk about it.

They continued down the corridor, Wenny still holding so tightly to her wand that her hand was beginning to ache. But her wand was their only form of protection at the moment, so it was only natural for her to be holding on to it for dear life.

As they walked, she continued to glance around, searching for any kind of sign of a door or even a window. Anything that they could escape out of. Even if they only got three feet outside before the Death Eaters figured out they were missing, she would still be able to apparate them away if they could only get out of this building. Or at least she hoped so.

Carl looked down the other hallways as they passed them as he could feel his heart beating faster and faster in his chest. They reached what Carl hoped was the ground floor after awhile. He was really beginning to think that this was all to easy. Wenny having her wand, Dray allowing for Carl to hear the curse to open the door, and then getting all the way down to the ground floor. He peeked around the corner and saw a few Death Eaters and knew that they'd have to go through the other room.

Wenny watched Carl for a moment and then peeked around the corner herself. She froze as soon as she saw the Death Eaters standing there and then quickly stepped back around the corner.

She leaned against the wall as closely as possible, her eyes tightly closed, wishing the wall would just absorb her somehow. That had to be better than facing a room full of Death Eaters. Then it occurred to her that she was the only one with a wand...which meant that their survival was practically in her hands. How was she supposed to do this!? Maybe she should just hand her wand over to Carl and let him take care of it all. She wondered what he would think if she told him to feel free to use an unforgivable after she had made him swear to never use one again?

She opened her eyes and watched Carl, hoping he had come up with some kind of plan.

Carl watched her and took a deep breath before kissing her deeply for a moment, just incase they weren't able to escape. Then he peered around the corner again and took another deep breath. He smiled at Wenny and then took her hand again before leading them down another hallway, hoping it would lead around that room. He still felt this was too easy and was actually expecting to run into a Death Eater.

Wenny gave Carl a nervous smile as they began walking down the new corridor. She was still glancing around nervously and expecting a few Death Eaters to appear infront of them at any moment. Though, she was hoping that wouldn't happen. Surely there had to be a door or a window somewhere close by.

"Have you seen them yet?," came a familiar voice from around the next corner. Wenny gasped and started quickly looking around for somewhere they could go. She tried a couple of doors before she finally found one unlocked and quickly opened it, pulling Carl inside with her. She quietly closed the door and put her ear up to it, straining to hear if her father had passed down the corridor yet.

Carl put his ear to the door too, trying to hear. So it had been a trap. He wasn't surprised. He held his breath and could feel his heart beating even faster if that was possible. He looked at Wenny with a sad smile. He wanted to get her out of here.

"No, I haven't," came Lucius's voice. "But they can't have gotten far," he said as he walked down the hall.

Wenny continued listening as closely as possible, trying to hear the footsteps of her father and Lucius as they walked down the corridor. Wondering if it was safe yet or if they should stay in the room a bit longer, she looked over at Carl to see if she could tell what he was thinking. As she watched him, she started thinking of what would happen if they were caught, and suddenly reached over and put her arms around him. After a few moments, she stepped back and took a deep breath and held out her wand, "Carl, maybe you should take my wand. You're much better at spells than I am."

Carl looked down at the wand that Wenny was offering him for a few moments. "If I take that, Wenny," he said. "I'm going to be doing alot more than simple third year spells. I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from..." he trailed off. He wasn't sure he wanted to say _murdering Rabastan,_ but he felt like it was the truth. How else could he stop the man from doing this?

Wenny looked at him for a moment and could tell what he was thinking. But, in their current situation, she knew that it was going to be them or the Death Eaters. And she would much rather it be the Death Eaters. She nodded, "I know, Carl...but, as you saw in the Forest, I'm not a dueler. At _all._ And since our lives are at stake here, I _really_ don't think I should be the one with the wand."

Carl nodded his head and then swallowed the knot in his throat as he took the wand and gripped it firmly in his hand, although hoping that they wouldn't run into any Death Eaters, making him need to use it. He listened at the door again. "Do you think they're gone?" he asked quietly.

Wenny put her ear against the door again and listened for a few moments. She didn't hear either her father or Lucius talking or any footsteps, so she straightened back up and nodded. "I think so...I hope so," she replied. She didn't want to think of what might happen if they weren't.

Carl took a deep breath before opening the door slowly. He winced as the door creaked a little, but he hoped it wasn't loud enough to get any of the Death Eaters' attention. He peeked out and looked back and forth down the hallway, and when he didn't see either Dray or Lucius, he quietly stepped out into the hall.

Wenny watched as Carl stepped out of the room and figured he must not have seen anyone, so she stepped out as well. She didn't want to speak, for fear that someone might be close enough by to hear them, so she motioned towards the direction they had been going and then gave him a questioning look. She hoped he understood that she was asking if they should continue that way or not. It was possible that her father and Lucius had continued on the opposite way, but it was equally as possible that they had turned back.

Carl looked back and forth down the hall, wishing he knew exactly how far they were from an exit. He tried to think like a Death Eater, which didn't exactly come very difficult since he had lived with one for his whole life. He took Wenny's hand again, still holding onto the wand tightly with his other hand, and then walked in the direction that they had been going, hoping it was the right decision.

As they walked through the corridor, Wenny glanced around every few seconds, rather nervous of someone sneaking up on them. After a few moments, she squinted her eyes. She thought she saw a small sliver of sunlight on the floor on up the corridor a little way. She nudged Carl and pointed, wondering if he saw it too. There was only one way sunlight could get into a building: through an open door or a window.

Carl looked over to where Wenny was pointing and saw the sliver of light and smiled a little. He looked around before walking a little more towards it. Then the light was shadowed by a dark figure. Carl felt like his heart had stopped beating, but then realized that the Death Eater was facing the other way. He glanced over at Wenny for only a split second before starting to back up slowly.

Wenny looked at Carl, panicked, when she saw the Death Eater walk into the corridor. She followed Carl's lead and started backing up as slowly as possible, trying not to make any sudden movements that might attract the man's attention. Then she had another thought. If that one Death Eater was the only thing between them and a door, it might be worth the risk to stupefy the man and run for it. She glanced over at Carl and mouthed "stupefy?"

Carl looked over at Wenny and nodded his head slowly as he very cautiously brought up the wand and pointed it at the man. "Stupefy," he said almost silently. The spell hit the man and he fell to the ground. Carl grabbed Wenny's hand tighter and started to run towards the exit.

If she actually knew where they were going and that there were no other Death Eaters around, Wenny probably would've closed her eyes as frightened as she was at the moment. But as it stood, she nervously glanced around as they ran through the corridor. She had to jump over the stupefied Death Eater's body as they turned into where the sunlight was coming from, but didn't mind as she soon after discovered that there was indeed a door nearby. She quickly pushed on it to open it, but found that it was locked. Since Carl had her wand, she waited for him to unlock it.

Carl's heart was beating even faster than before as he pointed the wand at the door. He muttered the same curse that had been used to unlock the upstairs room that the Death Eaters had kept them both in, hoping beyond hope that it would work. He looked around anxiously, hoping there weren't anymore Death Eaters nearby.

As soon as Carl had finished the spell, Wenny pushed on the door. Surprisingly, the door opened...and an alarm went off. Wenny cursed, but ran through the door anyway, still holding Carl's hand as she ran. They got about ten feet from the building and she closed her eyes, concentrating on Grimmauld Place. She could hear a few male voices, Death Eaters obviously, yelling amongst themselves and running towards her and Carl. She took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, before continuing to concentrate on Grimmauld Place. Thankfully, a few moments later, she finally felt the familiar sensation of apparition.

Carl ran with Wenny until they were outside, thankful yet again for the familiar scent of fresh air. He heard the Death Eaters and cursed a little, then he looked over at Wenny and saw her concentrating. He closed his eyes, continuing to run, hoping Wenny could do it, and then he felt himself being pulled from the ground.

Wenny felt them arrive and slowly opened her eyes, hoping to see Grimmauld Place and almost screamed for joy when she saw the familiar street. They had made it. They ran up the street to where Number Twelve was and waited for the house to appear. When it did, Wenny practically ran up to the door. She opened it and quickly went in...and then froze. Chairs and papers were strewn all over the room, part of the banister above the stairwell was broken, and there were burn marks on the walls as if they had been hit by stray curses. "This cannot be good," she said, looking around the room.

"What happened to this place?" Carl asked quietly as he walked into the room, stepping on a few broken objects that were on the ground. He looked around anxiously. "Mrs Weasley!?" he called out. He really hoped everyone was alright. What would happen to them if something happened to the members of the Order? He didn't even want to think about it.

"Oh my god," Wenny said slowly, turning to Carl, _"Dray Gytha_ happened to this place." There was no other explanation. The only way Death Eaters could've attacked this place, as that was what appeared to have happened, was if they had been brought here by someone who knew where it was. And her father knew where Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was.

Wenny felt sick to her stomach. After all these people had done for her and Carl, her father had to attack them. Granted, her father didn't care about the Order protecting his daughter, obviously, but because it was her father, she couldn't help but feel guilty herself. She sincerely hoped that none of the Order members were harmed or she'd feel even worse. If that was possible.

Carl looked over at Wenny and swalllowed a huge knot that was in his throat. The headquarters of the Order was trashed and no one even knew if any of them were here. After a moment, Carl ran to the kitchen. It was just as trashed as the rest of the house. "Mrs. Weasley!?" he called again. He went back to Wenny after he didn't see the lady. He hoped they were ok and that they had made it out safely. "The Death Eaters know about this place. We need to get somewhere safe," he said, breathing quick. He knew that they would probably show up any minute.

"But where can we go?," Wenny asked, starting to panic. Grimmauld Place was their safe haven. The one place that no one but the Order knew about. If they could no longer stay here, where else could they go that Death Eaters couldn't come after them?

"We're going back to school," she said, answering her own question as she reached over to take his hand. As soon as they arrived, they would go straight to Dumbledore and tell him the situation. He was the most powerful wizard ever, so he had to be able to protect them. They had no one else at this point.

Carl looked around one last time before holding onto Wenny's hand and nodding his head. He knew that that was probably the one place that would be even remotely safe for them now. He'd hate if something happened to anyone in the Order, they were all way too nice to suffer such a fate. Although, he knew the best things didn't always happen just because you were a nice person. He just wouldn't be able to stand it, though. He peeked out the door to make sure there were no Death Eaters and then nodded to Wenny, waiting for her to apparate them.

Wenny closed her eyes and concentrated on as close to Hogwarts grounds as she could go, since you couldn't actually apparate onto the school grounds itself. She suddenly felt as if they were being pulled through a tiny rubber tube and within seconds, they had arrived somewhere between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. 


	50. Things Are Amiss

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty: Things Are Amiss**

"Come on," Wenny said, starting to run towards the school, still holding Carl's hand. She wasn't risking being attacked before they reached school grounds, though she knew it could very possibly happen regardless. If the Death Eaters had one ounce of sense, they would realize that the teens would head for Hogwarts after finding Grimmauld Place in such disarray.

Carl opened his eyes after they apparated and took a short sigh of relief as he saw they were close to Hogwarts. He didn't argue when Wenny started to run. He ran right with her. How could things have gotten so screwed up? Oh right, it was that traitor. He knew that it was Wenny's father, but it wasn't wrong for him to be completely furious at him, was it? He had tricked them both, so how could Carl possibly still want to get Dray's permission to be with his daughter?

Wenny hadn't realized that the gates to the school grounds would be locked, though she guessed she should have. How else could troublemakers be kept off of school property? She stood there for a moment, holding onto the gate and trying to catch her breath, and trying to think of a way for them to get inside school grounds before any Death Eaters arrived.

Maybe they could get Hagrid's attention somehow. He was the 'keeper of the grounds' or whatever his title was, after all. He didn't seem to be out on the grounds, though, which meant he was probably in his cabin. "We have to get Hagrid's attention," Wenny said, turning to Carl, "any ideas?"

Carl couldn't help but grin mischieviously. "A few," he said quietly, pulling out Wenny's wand that he still had. He pointed it up at sky and set off a few flares, aimed for just above Hagrid's cabin. He winced as it looked like they would actually hit the cabin, but breathed a small sigh of relief when they went directly above it.

As she watched Carl, Wenny couldn't help but smile slightly. She hoped his idea worked and that Hagrid would emerge from his cabin in a moment. "Come on, come on," Wenny muttered under her breath, staring intensely at the small cabin.

After a moment, the door opened and out stepped the familiar giant. "What 'er yer think yer doin'?," he said, walking towards the gate. "Hagrid! Hagrid! We need in! Please? And hurry!," Wenny said as soon as Hagrid got within range to the gate. She glanced around to be sure they were still alone.

"A'right. Calm yer knickers," the giant said as he opened the gate and let them both in, stepping back a little and then closing the gate behind them.

Carl ran in with Wenny. "Thanks, Hagrid," he said with a small smile, a bit out of breath from the running.

Since they were now on school grounds, which meant very little threat of running into a Death Eater, Wenny was content to walk towards the castle, as she was still trying to catch her breath from running practically all the way from Hogsmeade. "Wow, we actually...made it," she said, glancing over at Carl with a small smile.

"Yeah," Carl said quietly, looking around. He waved a little to Hagrid as he went back to his cabin and then looked back up towards the castle. He had to admit that he was glad to be seeing the lights of the castle again, although he was still sort of thinking it had all been too easy, even if it hadn't really seemed like it.

Wenny was watching Carl and could tell that he seemed a bit tense. "Would you relax a little? We're back at school. They can't possibly come on school grounds," she said, reaching over and putting an arm around his waist. Of course, she was forgetting about the event where Lucius had somehow gotten onto school grounds and approached her out by the lake. "We'll go explain everything to Dumbledore and then we can go visit our old Room," she explained. No, she wasn't completely over everything they had been through that day, but she was trying to lighten the mood at least a little bit.

Carl gave her a small smile as he put his arm around her shoulders and nodded his head a little. "Alright," he said with a slight grin as they walked back up to the castle and up the stairs leading up into the Entrance Hall. He looked around a little and took a deep breath, glad to be back inside the castle, and then turned down the corridor leading to Dumbledore's office.

"Thank you," she said with a small grin. They walked the rest of the way down the corridor and stopped infront of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. They tried a few different possible passwords and eventually guessed the right one, causing the hidden stairwell that led up to Dumbledore's office to slowly open up.

They started up the stairs and then reached the door to Dumbledore's office. Carl knocked softly on the door, but didn't hear anything. He knocked again and waited a little longer, but there still wasn't anything. He looked from the door to Wenny curiously. "What do you think? Should we just go in?" he asked her. But what if Dumbledore wasn't even in there?

Go in Dumbledore's office without him letting them in? Hmm. "I don't know, I'd feel a bit odd if he came back and found us in his office," Wenny replied. She knocked on the door, as a last chance before moving on to another idea. "If he doesn't answer this time, maybe we should...," she paused for a minute, not sure whether or not Carl would go for the idea, "...maybe we should go talk to...Professor Snape."

Carl looked quickly from the door to Wenny. "Are you crazy? Your father was a traitor. What makes you think Snape's not?" he asked, a bit angry at the idea. He sighed heavily. "Alright," he said quietly. "But I'm not closing any doors. The idea of being in a closed room with Snape right now is a little unnerving," he said, turning back towards the stairs.

Wenny knew Carl was right. There _was_ a chance that Professor Snape was a traitor. Not until then had she realized that Carl had called her father a traitor. Her father _was_ a traitor, but to hear Carl just blurt it out like that was a bit...hurtful? Not really. Just...odd. It wasn't worth her saying anything, though, as she didn't want to defend her father. "But regardless of the chance of him being a...a traitor...," Wenny started, "...Professor Snape is the only Order member here at the moment."

Carl nodded. "I know," he said quietly as they started back down the stairs. "I'm sorry," he told her after a moment, "about your father." He really didn't know what else to say. What exactly do you say to someone who found out for the second time that their father was a Death Eater and was helping another Death Eater get her to their headquarters?

Wenny shook her head, "it's ok. It's not like I really expected any different from him." It was true, her father had always been cold and uncaring towards her, but...what he had done that day went far beyond simply 'cold and uncaring.' He had nearly gotten her _killed._ And if she and Carl hadn't been able to escape, he would have succeeded.

Carl nodded his head slowly. He knew she still felt bad about the situation though, but he really couldn't think of what to say, so he just walked quietly down the stairs and then back out into the corridor and started heading down to the dungeons.

She couldn't help but think about how odd it was that both of their 'fathers' had nearly killed them. Even though Rabastan wasn't Carl's birth father, at the time, he had been the only father Carl had known. It was all rather tragic. What happened to the fathers who actually _loved_ their children?

They walked the rest of the way to Professor Snape's office and Wenny knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the snarky professor appeared in the doorway.

"What are you doing back here?," Snape asked, glancing between the two.

Wenny was tempted to tell him how nice it was to see him again as well, but she refrained. "Well, Professor...that's kind of what we're here to talk to you about. May we come in?"

He stepped aside and opened the door a bit wider.

Carl glared at Snape as he walked inside the room. It was just instinct recently. But he noticed that Snape looked a little more flushed than usual. He turned back around. "Would you mind not closing the..." but he stopped, as Snape had already closed the door before Carl could finish his sentence.

Snape then walked over to his desk, but remained standing behind it. He motioned for them to sit down. "Now tell me what happened," he said, although he seemed rather in a rush or something.

Wenny looked at the Professor curiously, wondering why he seemed so tense. But then again, it wasn't like he was an easy going guy even on his best days. She shrugged the thought out of her mind. "Well, Professor...we ended up back at the...Headquarters," she started, omitting the part about her touching a portkey, "and we escaped and went to Grimmauld Place, but it looked as if a war had went on there. And Mrs. Weasley wasn't even there, so we immediately came back here."

"What do you mean Grimmauld Place looked like a war had gone on there?," Snape asked, eyeing Wenny curiously.

"Everything was a total mess. There were burns on the walls, chairs thrown all around,...it just looked as if...as if someone had torn the place apart." She wasn't leaving out her father's name to protect him, but rather to save herself a least a little shame.

"I see," Snape said quietly as he looked down at his desk for a moment before looking back up at them. He sighed heavily as he looked from Wenny to Carl. "Then I shall need to fine a way to contact the Order to make sure they are well. You two should get to your common rooms."

Carl watched Snape curiously. Something was up. Carl could tell Snape was bothered by something, but he decided not to ask. He nodded his head slowly as not to upset him by saying anything. "Yes, Sir," he said quietly, still watching him rather curiously.

"Oh, by the way, we're sorry we had to bother you, Professor, but Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to be in his office when we stopped by," Wenny said before standing up.

Professor Snape didn't reply, he simply watched her stand up and then turned to Carl, _"Common Rooms."_ It was only two words, but his message was clear: _do not go to the Room of Requirement._ Wenny glanced over at the two guys before walking over to the door. "Goodnight, Professor." She looked over at Carl, waiting for him.

Carl continued to watch Snape for a moment. Psh, like he was actually going to listen to Snape. But he nodded anyways. "Yes, Sir," he said as he stood up and then walked over to the door, opening it for Wenny.

As soon as they were out of the Professor's office, Wenny looked over at Carl, "is it just me or did he seem even more tense than usual?"

He nodded his head and started walking very slowly down the corridor. "He did seem a bit more odd than he normally does," he agreed as he thought for a moment.

They walked along the corridor in silence for a few minutes, then Wenny turned to Carl, "Common Rooms?" The same two words Professor Snape had spoken only moments earlier. But, rather than being an order, hers were a question.

Carl turned to her. "Are you kidding? Are you seriously asking me that?" he asked, a bit surprised. He would have thought she would have just led him straight to the Room. "Please tell me you were just joking," he said with an amused grin.

Wenny couldn't help but smile a bit at his reaction, "just checking." She reached over and took his hand in hers and started walking towards the corridor the Room was in and yawned, which made her laugh, "it seems I'm rather sleepy all of a sudden."

Carl caught her yawn which made him yawn. "All of a sudden?" he asked with a grin. He really was exhausted from that day, and knew that he'd need some sleep. He wondered if they would have to go to classes tomorrow. He'd probably rather risk being caught in the Room of Requirement all day.

"Yes, all of a sudden," Wenny replied with a slight grin. She couldn't wait to get in the Room and sleep in Carl's arms. It felt like she hadn't done that in forever, even though it had only been since that very morning.

He laughed a little and then put his arm around Wenny as they made their way up to the Room of Requirement. He hoped he'd get a worryless good night's sleep, which shouldn't be too hard if he was with Wenny in the Room.

Wenny looked around anxiously as they walked through the corridors. She wondered what kind of theories her dorm mates had come up with to explain her disappearance from school yet again. Though, since her friends knew about their occasional trips to the Room, she at least didn't have to worry about that.

After a short while, they finally reached the corridor outside of the Room. "Go for it," Wenny said, stepping aside so Carl could do his usual routine.

Carl smiled at her before walking back and forth infront of the wall three times, thinking of the room that they always stay in. Then he looked towards the wall, but the door didn't appear. He looked from it to Wenny curiously. "I guess I'll try again," he said with a shrug. He tried it again, but still nothing happened. "That's odd," he said, walking over to the wall and examining it.

Wenny pouted. "Don't tell me. You've _forgotten how,"_ she teased, remembering their little 'fight' at Grimmauld Place when Carl threatened to forget how to access the Room. She walked over to him. "Or maybe...you don't need to get in there bad enough this time. I'm hurt," she added with a grin.

Carl glared playfully at Wenny and then looked back to the wall. "I remember this only happening once," he said slowly, looking back to Wenny. "It was when someone else was already in the Room." At that, he looked back to the wall. "I wonder who would be in it," he said pensively.

"So we're away from school for a couple of days and someone else takes over our Room? How rude," Wenny said with a slight laugh. Her friend _had_ told them once that she and Carl weren't the only ones who used the Room. "Maybe we should just come back later?," she asked. After all, it wasn't quite curfew, so they very well could walk around for a bit and then try to access the Room again.

"I guess," Carl said slowly before kicking at the wall. That kind of made him upset. He was up for a good night's sleep right now. He sighed and then walked back to Wenny and put his arm back around her. "So where to? Because I am not going to my common room right now," he said with a slight grin.

Wenny thought for a moment, "well...are you hungry, by any chance?" They could waste some time down in the kitchens. She had been too preoccupied to notice before, but now that she thought about it, she was absolutely starving.

"Sure, why not?" Carl replied with a smile as they started walking down the hall again. He rememebered that they hadn't eaten since lunch, which made him think he was possibly even hungrier than he had been to begin with.

They walked down to the corridor where the infamous fruit painting was located, as well as the Hufflepuff Common Room, and without waiting for Carl to say anything, Wenny started to reach over and tickle the pear. One does not forget such a unique way of entering a room.

"Wenny! Where have you been!?," someone exclaimed at the very moment that Wenny had been about to touch the painting. She quickly pulled her hand back, since they weren't suppose to know how to access the kitchens. She turned to the girl and smiled, "Oh, it's a long story. I'll tell ya later, ok?"

"Just tell me that you didn't 'run away' again?," the girl teased. _'I wish it were that simple and pleasant,'_ Wenny thought before shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. I promise I'll tell you all about it later, ok?" She was trying to get rid of the girl, but she didn't seem to want to leave.

Just then, the girl looked over at Carl. "You know he's not supposed to be down here," she said, looking back at Wenny.

Carl looked back and forth between the girl and Wenny. "She knows," he said with a smile, before looking around a bit anxiously. He thought he heard a faint noise, but something that sounded like it would have been rather loud had they been wherever it happened. He thought that maybe it was something down in the kitchens, so he just ignored it. He looked around a bit anxiously again, and then heard his stomach growl and looked down so his hair fell into his face.

Wenny wanted to reach over and tuck Carl's hair behind his ears...or at least brush it out of his eyes, though to be honest, she thought he looked pretty cute like that. Though, at the moment, she had to figure out a way to get this girl to go away.

"He's right, I do know...and don't worry, he was only walking me to the Common Room and he has Dumbledore's permission to do that," she told the girl. She wasn't being completely honest, but she wasn't completely lying either. This seemed to satisfy the girl, as she said "Oh, ok...well, see you later," and walked off towards the Entrance Hall. Wenny waited until the girl had completely left the corridor before turning back to the painting and tickling the pear.

Carl looked up and shook his hair out of his face as he put his hands in his pockets. For some odd reason, he had began to blush, but hoped it was gone now. Once the handle had appeared, he opened the painting door for Wenny and helped her inside and then went in after her, closing the painting behind them afterwards. He was rather hungry and anxious to get some food. But when they got inside, he didn't see any of the house elves right away, which was a bit unusual. They had to walk more into the kitchens until he saw one.

Wenny watched Carl shake his hair out of his face and grinned to herself. Once they were in the kitchen, Wenny, too, noticed the change in the house elves' behavior. But she shrugged it off. Maybe they were just tired. She didn't believe it, but she had to explain it somehow and that worked for the moment. What other reason could there be?

The elf was nice enough to ask what they wanted, but instead of hurrying off to get it, he kind of shuffled, as if he were preoccupied or something. Wenny watched the elf for a bit and then gave Carl a curious look.

Carl shrugged and then sat down at one of the four tables. He yawned and ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't sure if he's ever felt so tired and hungry at the same time. He put his arms on the table and then laid his head down, tempted to go to sleep right there. He just wanted to not think about any of the things that had happened the past few days with the Death Eaters. He wanted to go into the Room of Requirement and hold Wenny until they both fell asleep. He sighed, blowing some hair out of his face.

Wenny watched as Carl walked over and sat down at the table and put his head down. She knew exactly how he felt. If she wasn't afraid that she would fall asleep and not wake up until the following morning, she would've done the same exact thing. Instead, she walked over and sat down beside him, reaching over and rubbing his back for a few minutes and then gently stroking his hair. She sincerely hoped the Room would open for them when they returned, because they both needed sleep.

A few minutes later, the house elf returned with their food. He sat it down on the table infront of them and then scurried off without a single word. She watched the elf leave and then looked back to Carl. She was tempted to just let him sleep if he wanted, but decided they needed to eat as well as sleep. "Carl?," she asked quietly, not sure if he had fallen asleep or not.

Carl looked up at Wenny with a tired face. "Yeah?" he said quietly, watching her carefully before picking up a piece of bread and taking a bite. He felt like it was kind of hard to chew, probably because he was so tired.

"Just seeing if you had fallen asleep," she said, watching him. "Everything is going to be ok, you know." She took some of the food and put it on her plate, but she simply sat there and kind of looked at it for a few moments, not really in the mood to eat any longer.

He nodded and smiled slightly at her. "Yep, still awake," he said, putting the bread back down on the plate and taking a sip of butterbeer. It warmed his insides which made him feel a bit better.

Wenny gave him a small smile and then sighed, turning back to her plate. She knew she needed to eat something and until she had seen him look so weary, she had been fine. But she really didn't like seeing him like this. She tried to put it out of her mind for the moment at least, for him, and took a few bites of her dinner.

After a few moments, she looked over at him, "I'll be glad when we're finally in the room again." She wasn't sure it was the right thing to say, but she wanted to say _something_ to try to cheer him up a bit.

"Me, too," he said, setting the butterbeer back down on the table and giving Wenny a small smile. He found himself hoping that this was the end of it, although knowing that it most likely wasn't. He was thinking all of it had been too easy, not to mention Snape's peculiar behavior. Then he started getting a headache with thinking of all of it again and couldn't eat anymore.

Wenny watched him for a moment and then stood up, stuffed some of the small food items in her pockets, then looked at Carl. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hands to pull him up. They could go check the Room and if it still wouldn't open for them, then she would find somewhere else they could go. She really didn't know anywhere else they could go, though, not that they could actually sleep, so she sincerely hoped the Room would open for them this time.

Carl nodded and then stood up. He smiled and nodded politely at the house elves as they walked through the kitchen and then back into the hall. He held onto her hand as they walked down the corridor. As they neared the Entrance Hall, Carl thought that he had heard something, but couldn't be for sure. He just hoped it wasn't Peeves.

"I hope you like biscuits, 'cause that's all I was able to bring with us," she teased, trying to lighten the mood a little. 


	51. Strangers At The School

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-One: Strangers At The School**

They continued walking down the hall for a bit and then heard someone talking in one of the unused classrooms. Wenny stopped walking and dropped Carl's hand, then stepped a little closer to the doorway to see if she could make out who the voice belonged to. Unfortunately, it was a bit muffled, since they were hearing it through the closed door. She glanced over to Carl to see if he could tell who it was.

When Wenny stopped, Carl walked slowly and quietly towards the door and put his ear to it. Then he looked over at Wenny curiously. "Snape?" he mouthed to her, thinking it sounded like him. But he couldn't quite make out the other voice.

She nodded slightly, then listened for a moment more, trying to pick up the other voice. It sounded a bit familiar, one that she was sure she knew. Draco Malfoy? She looked at Carl, "Malfoy?" But why would Snape and Malfoy be talking in an unused classroom? Snape was Malfoy's Head of House. They could just talk in the common room or Snape's office, couldn't they?

About that time, it sounded as if someone were approaching the door. Wenny grabbed Carl's hand and pulled him into a nearby classroom, waiting until the two had walked past the room before peeking out. Once it seemed they were out of earshot, she turned to Carl. "Any idea what that might've been about?"

Carl shook his head after thinking for a moment. "None," he said quietly. Although, it wasn't really the first time that he had seen the two talking. "And what would they be doing talking in an empty classroom after hours?" he asked curiously as he peeked out of the room and down the hall. He took her hand again and walked out into the corridor after seeing that Snape and Malfoy left the hall.

"I don't know. It's rather odd, isn't it?," she asked, thinking outloud. The evening was getting weirder by the hour. First, Dumbledore was gone, then the Room wouldn't open for them, and now Snape and Malfoy talking in an unused classroom after hours? Something was definitely going on. "Should we try to get in touch with someone? Like maybe some of the Order members or something? Ask them what's going on?"

"We could," he said, thinking. "McGonagall's in the Order, isn't she?" he asked, wondering how else they could possibly get in touch with anyone else. An owl would take too long, and he didn't think he could come up with anyway else. He found himself wondering where the Order members had all gone to and if Professor McGonagall would still be awake.

"Yes! She is!," Wenny said, having had forgotten all about Professor McGonagall. At least they had one Order member, other than Snape and Dumbledore, that they could go to. Assuming she was still in the castle.

They quickly walked through the corridors towards McGonagall's office and upon reaching it, Wenny turned to Carl. "Let's hope she doesn't ask why we're out of our houses after curfew," she said with a slight grin. McGonagall was notorious for being a stickler for the rules. Particularly curfew.

Wenny knocked on the Professor's door, hoping the old lady would be around.

"That'll be the day," Carl muttered, grinning as they made their way to Professor McGonagall's office. He looked at the door after Wenny knocked on it, hoping the Professor would be there. If not, he wasn't sure what they would be able to do next.

Professor McGonagall came to the door and opened it. She looked from Wenny to Carl and back again for a moment before saying anything. "What are you kids doing out of your common rooms after curfew?" she asked, eyeing them both. Carl had to hide a grin and tried not to roll his eyes as he looked at McGonagall. "We're sorry, Professor. We just didn't know who else to go to."

Wenny also had to fight not to grin or laugh at the Professor's first question. Some people were just so predictable.

"Who else to go to? About what, pray tell?," the elderly lady asked, still curiously looking between Carl and Wenny.

Wenny wasn't quite sure how far back to go with their story. Did the professor know that the Order Headquarters had been discovered and attacked? Did she know they had run for their lives back to the school? She glanced around to be sure no one was in the area, then decided not to risk it. "Well, it might be better if we wait to tell you inside your office," Wenny said quietly.

Professor McGonagall nodded and then opened her door wider to let them both in and then closed it after them. "I must say I am glad you both made it back in one piece," she started. "I was terribly worried when I got word that headquarters had been attacked."

Carl went inside with Wenny and then turned back around to Professor McGonagall and listened to her talk. "So you know about what happened?" he asked her curiously. "And is everyone alright?"

"Oh yes, they're all fine. In fact, some of them should be here soon," she said, glancing at a clock. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Wenny waited for a moment, trying to decide what to tell the Professor. "Well, we just saw Professor Snape and Malfoy, er, Draco Malfoy talking in one of the unused classrooms. We couldn't hear what they were saying, but by their tones, it seemed pretty important. They both sounded a bit desperate. Do you have any idea what they might have been talking about?"

Carl was relieved to hear that everyone was alright and let out a sigh of relief and then watched Professor McGonagall and waited for her to answer Wenny.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips in thought. "No, I can't say that I do," she said.

Carl couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not.

Wenny watched the Professor and then glanced at Carl. She wondered what he thought of the Professor's answer. "Well, I guess that was all we wanted to tell you...?," Wenny said, not quite sure. She looked over to Carl to see if he had anything he wanted to add.

"Very well, then. If that is all, then I expect you both will go straight to your separate houses," she said, giving them both a somewhat stern look. McGonagall always seemed to know when students had plans that didn't exactly follow school rules.

Wenny quickly gave Carl an _'if you have anything to add, do so now before she runs us out of here'_ look.

Carl had alot of things that he could probably ask Professor McGonagall, beginning with why Dumbledore wasn't there and then possibly asking more about Snape. But he decided to keep those questions to himself, doubting he would get any straight answers from Professor McGonagall anyways. He slowly nodded his head.

"Very good," McGonagall said, going back over to the door and opening it again. "Good night," she added, motioning for them to walk back out the door. She was still giving them a bit of a strict face, clearly meaning for them to go straight to their separate common rooms.

Wenny walked out of the Professor's office without speaking, then glanced back to watch her shut her office door. She grinned a little at how predictable the old woman was. Though, Wenny had to give the lady credit. She was sharp.

"Well, that didn't really get us anywhere," Wenny said with a sigh as they started down the corridor. Once they were a fairly good distance from McGonagall's office, Wenny took Carl's hand. "I suppose we just go try the Room again."

Carl nodded his head slowly. "Yeah," he said quietly. He could use some rest, even if it meant just laying down on the bed at least and not actually getting any sleep. He held onto Wenny's hand as they walked back up to the Room of Requirement, and then stopped just around the hall and listened. He thought he heard footsteps, and he turned to Wenny curiously, hoping he wasn't so tired that he was imagining things.

Wenny noticed Carl's look and stopped. She heard the footsteps, too, and glanced around for somewhere for them to go. Even if they had been near one of their houses, they both wouldn't be able to go in. But they weren't near either house and they weren't quite to the corridor where the Room was. Then it hit her, the footsteps seemed to be coming from the corridor that the Room was on. Maybe it was whoever had been in the Room earlier?

Wenny pulled Carl around a corner, since there didn't seem to be any unlocked classrooms nearby. Hopefully, whoever it was, would simply go the way Wenny and Carl had just come from.

Carl leaned against the wall, listening intently to the footsteps. He could tell that whoever it was, they weren't students. But what would professors be doing in the Room? He had to hold back a grin at the thought. He was curious, but had to stop himself from peeking around the corner.

After a moment, he could tell that they were heading the way that he and Wenny had come from. So Carl looked around the corner and saw their backs. They _definitely_ weren't students, he thought.

Wenny watched Carl, then peeked around the corner herself. The people walking down the corridor couldn't possibly be students, but she didn't recognize them as any of the professors either. Of course, she wasn't seeing their faces, but surely she would recognize her professors regardless.

She looked at Carl, a bit nervous. "Who do you think they were?," she whispered. She wanted to get inside the safety of the Room now more than ever before, but she was somewhat afraid to move from their current spot.

He shrugged, not wanting to think on the thought that he was going with. "Maybe they were some of the Order," he said quietly, not really believing it himself. Professor McGonagall had said that they would be arriving there, but then again, it didn't really look like any of them.

Wenny wasn't quite convinced that those people had been Order members. Then again, she was sure there were plenty of Order members that they hadn't met. But why would they be coming from the Room? Wouldn't they have simply been able to come in through the Entrance Hall?

"Do you think it's safe for us to go into the Room now?," Wenny asked, still watching the strangers walking down the corridor. She looked at Carl, hoping he would know what to do.

"Well, we're not going to get anywhere by just standing here," Carl said quietly, taking her hand again and then walking back into the next hall. He could still see the strangers a little and watched them curiously. He saw them pull out their wands, and he narrowed his eyes a bit. "Wenny, now I'm quite sure those are not Order members," he said quietly.

Wenny knew Carl was right, but she figured she'd wait until they were inside the Room before asking him all of the questions that were suddenly flooding her mind. Like, who _were_ those strange people, if they weren't Order members? And what had they been doing in the Room? And most importantly, why were they here at Hogwarts?

She walked the rest of the way through the corridor with Carl, and then stopped outside the Room. As usual, she figured she'd let him handle the required routine for accessing the Room. She took a deep breath, desperately hoping the Room would let them in this time.

Carl watched the figures until they turned turned down the next corridor and then turned to where the door to the Room should be. He took a deep breath before he began walking infront of the wall. He closed his eyes during his third walk past it and then stopped and slowly opened his eyes to see if it had worked.

Wenny watched Carl walk past the room, but when he was finished, she didn't see the door appear. She sighed, "why isn't it opening? Try it again?" What were they supposed to do if they couldn't get in the Room? Well, they could go to their own houses, but she really didn't want to. She wanted to be with him. And besides, she didn't want him to go in Slytherin house. It was too dangerous for him. Especially now.

Carl sighed and then tried it again, although knew if it didn't work the first time, it probably wouldn't work the second. He looked back at the wall, but the door still wasn't there. He looked back at Wenny. "I guess this means we follow the rules for once," he said with a shrug, although not really wanting to go back to his dorm.

She sighed again when the door still didn't appear. "Carl, you can't possibly go into Slytherin," she said, looking at him worriedly, "it's much too dangerous for you now." She knew she was practically begging him, but Malfoy punched him for simply dating a Hufflepuff...what would he do now that they had escaped his incompetent father yet again? He wouldn't be nearly as nice this time. "We'll just have to find somewhere else to go," she said decidedly.

Carl leaned against the wall for a moment and looked at her. "I'm not afraid of Malfoy," he told her. Although he still didn't want to go to his own common room, just because he didn't want to leave Wenny, not because he wouldn't face Draco. He sighed and then walked towards her and took her hand. "You're right, we'll just find somewhere else to go instead."

Wenny rolled her eyes when he said he wasn't afraid of Malfoy. She knew he wasn't afraid of the boy, but some people weren't afraid of dragons. That didn't mean dragons, or Draco Malfoy, couldn't or wouldn't harm them. But she wasn't going to argue about that at the moment. Their first concern was finding somewhere to go, and not being seen by a professor or those strange newcomers.

"Any suggestions of where we should try first?," she asked. Not being able to use the Room was a definite disappointment. What other place would allow them to be together without worrying about being caught?

Carl thought for a moment. "Well, we could try an empty classroom, but I don't think that would keep us from getting caught any more than being outside or the dungeons or the towers," he said, looking at her and still thinking. "Where do you want to go?" he asked her.

Wenny thought for a moment, "hmmm, well...what do you think of maybe trying one of the Towers? Professors wouldn't really go up there in the middle of the night, would they?" She wasn't about to say it, for fear that he would think her cheesy or too girly, but she also thought it might be sweet to sleep under the stars with him.

"The Towers it is," Carl said with a grin before turning around and starting to walk down the hall, holding Wenny's hand. It actually wasn't a bad idea. The towers seemed like they would be a good place to go other than the Room or out on the grounds. After a moment, he put his arm around Wenny as they continued walking down the corridor.

Wenny smiled a bit when she felt Carl's arm go around her, and then looked over at him. She wondered if he knew what she had been thinking, as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Before they turned the corner towards the entrance to the Towers, she stopped them and peeked around the corner to make sure no one was around. She hated the thought of them being caught and made to go to their separate houses, and hated the thought of running into those strangers even more. She didn't know why, but she got a feeling that they weren't Order members and that they were up to no good.

Carl smiled as Wenny kissed him on his cheek. He too looked around the corner and, after deciding it was clear, walked through the entrance and then made their way to the Towers. He looked around for a moment. As long as he and Wenny and the strange people who had come from the Room were on opposite ends of the castle, he felt like it was at least a bit alright.

Once they were up on the Tower, Wenny walked to the edge and looked down at the grounds. Everything was so dark that it was almost impossible to make out the faces of anyone who may have been walking around down there. But she wasn't particularly worried about it. And she also wasn't too worried about them being discovered here on the Tower either, as she didn't think many people came up there outside of classes and such. She turned back around and grinned a little as she hopped up to sit on the ledge.

Carl smiled at her and stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched her for a few moments. Then he walked over to her and gave her a soft kiss on her lips before kissing her neck. "We both need to loosen up a bit," he said quietly with a grin as he continued to kiss her neck for another moment. Then he sat up on the ledge next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

Wenny laughed quietly as Carl kissed her neck. He knew exactly what to do to make her forget about everything going on around them and she loved him for it. She watched him as he sat beside her on the ledge and then glanced over her shoulder as he put his arm around her. "Ya know, that would be a really horrible fall," she said. She wasn't afraid of heights, especially with him holding on to her, but for some reason, the thought of falling from the Tower had suddenly come to her mind.

He looked back behind him and then to her again. "Don't worry. I wouldn't let you fall," he said with a smile and then he kissed her forehead. Something caught his eye on the grounds and he looked towards it. He thought he had seen movement, but he just ignored it, not wanting to be worried with anything else at the moment.

Wenny saw Carl look towards the grounds, "what is it? Did you see something?" She glanced towards the grounds, but didn't see anything, so she looked back to him. She hoped that, if he had seen someone down on the grounds, he would say it was just a professor or even Hagrid. Maybe they were both just a bit paranoid. But after everything they had been through, who could blame them?

"I just thought I saw something," Carl said quickly, looking back at Wenny and smiling at her. He couldn't even be sure that he had seen anything. It was possible his mind was just playing tricks on him since he was a bit paranoid and extremely tired.

Then he looked back to the grounds and definitely saw something this time. It was a person, and then he saw a spark of green light. It shot up towards them, and Carl quickly jumped back off the ledge and helped Wenny down. He saw the light go up into the sky above them and form a figure. A skull with a snake going through it. "This can't be good," he said quietly, staring up at it. 


	52. Murder & Fury

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Murder & Fury**

"What are y-," Wenny began when Carl hopped off of the ledge and pulled her down, then she saw what he had seen. "That's the Dark Mark!," she whispered, immediately becoming rather terrified. She looked between Carl and the newly formed Dark Mark. "But...but they only do that when they murder," she said, hoping he would correct her. Who were they planning to murder at Hogwarts? Or had they already done it? Could they be coming after _them?_

She hadn't thought about it before, but they were basically trapped on the Tower now. If the stairwell became blocked, the only way down would be to jump. Or fall.

Carl nodded his head slowly as he continued to gaze up at the Dark Mark, his breathing shallow. "Those people in the hall were Death Eaters," he said, barely a whisper, confirming what they both had been thinking, but too afraid to say out loud. He finally turned back to Wenny. "We have to do something," he said, taking her hand. He knew they wouldn't be able to stay there, but could only hope they would be able to find a safe way off the Tower.

Wenny nodded slightly. She knew he was right, they needed to go somewhere besides the Tower. It would be much too dangerous to stay there, incase the Death Eaters were coming after them. But she was almost too frightened to move. "What if they already know we're up here?," she asked quietly. What if that was why they had already put the sign in the sky, that they had somehow spotted them and were coming up to the Tower at this very moment?

Carl walked back over to the ledge and looked down. Then he looked back up at the Dark Mark in the sky and then to Wenny, his heart being fast now. "Well, what do you suppose we do?" he asked her before glimpsing something else in the sky. He looked towards it and could have sworn that he was seeing someone on a broom. He narrowed his eyes to see a bit better. "Wenny," he said slowly. "Is that...?" he trailed off. The long silvery hair was oddly familiar, but now he was really beginning to think that his mind wasn't being all too friendly with him that night.

"...Dumbledore?," she finished, noticing what he had. "Have you ever seen Dumbledore fly?," she asked. It was quite an interesting sight. She continued to watch the scene for a few moments before speaking again. "It looks like he's coming up here. Maybe we should just wait for him?," Wenny suggested. After all, Dumbledore was the one person who could protect them. Or at least she believed so.

Carl nodded a bit and then narrowed his eyes even more when he thought he saw another broom flying along next to Dumbledore, but no one was on it. As they came closer, Carl noticed that Dumbledore wasn't looking so good. Although, who could blame him with the Dark Mark hovering above his school? "On second thought, maybe we should just see if we can't try to find out a few things before we bother him with us being out of our dorms," he said quietly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Wenny said, looking around for somewhere for them to go. There was an old stone statue over on the other side of the Tower, but still close enough to be able to see Dumbledore when he landed. "Come on," she said, as she pulled Carl over towards the statue. They would be able to hide behind it and see what Dumbledore was doing up on the Tower.

They had just gotten behind the statue when Dumbledore, and what appeared to be an unoccupied broom, landed on the Tower. Wenny gave Carl a curious glance.

Carl looked over at Wenny after watching them land and shrugged. He looked back over to Dumbledore and the seemingly empty broom, and thought he heard a voice that was not Dumbledore's before hearing the Headmaster speak.

"Go and wake Severus," he heard Dumbledore say, although not knowing who it was he was talking to. _No need to wake him,_ Carl thought to himself, remembering hearing Snape and Malfoy talking in the empty classroom. But as he watched Dumbledore, he knew something was wrong with him.

"You swore to obey me, Harry - go!," Dumbledore said. Wenny immediately looked at Carl and mouthed "Harry?" Of course she knew who Dumbledore was speaking to. Harry Potter. But where had they been? And why was Dumbledore acting so strangely? And why couldn't they see Harry? He must've been under an invisibility cloak or something, but...why? And why was Dumbledore asking Harry to bring Professor Snape up here? Rather than Dumbledore going to the professor himself?

Wenny watched intently as Dumbledore held what appeared to be his arm, though it was rather odd looking, to his chest, and then as he seemed to motion to Harry. A moment later, the door to the stairwell swung open. "Expelliarmus!," came the voice from the stairwell and Wenny saw Dumbledore's wand fly out of his hand. She looked over at Carl, terrified. What was going on here?

Carl was afraid to look to see who had come through the door from the stairs, but soon found that he didn't have to. Dumbledore had said it for him. "Good evening, Draco," he heard Dumbledore say. Carl quickly looked over, not able to believe it. But there indeed stood Draco Malfoy, his wand pointed directly at Professor Dumbledore. This definitely wasn't good. Carl watched as they talked and heard Draco tell Dumbledore that he wasn't alone and that there were Death Eaters in the school. They could have used that bit of information a bit earlier, Carl thought.

Then he heard Draco say that the Death Eaters had met some of Dumbledore's guards downstairs. _The Order,_ Carl thought. After a little while of hearing them talk, Carl got the impression that Draco wasn't just there to distract Dumbledore. Infact, now he was learning that Draco had been attempting to kill Dumbledore all year. Carl didn't want to hear this, and he didn't want to think of what would happen next with Dumbledore defendless. He heard a muffled yell from somewhere downstairs in the castle and didn't want to think about what was happening down there.

Wenny watched, wide eyed, as Dumbledore calmly talked to Draco about how the boy had succeeded in getting Death Eaters into the school. The cabinet. The one in the Room of Requirement. Which is why the Room hadn't opened for them earlier. Draco must've been in there, awaiting the arrival of the Death Eaters.

The conversation quickly turned to Professor Snape and Wenny looked over at Carl, not sure how he would react, seeing as Snape was his father. It seemed Dumbledore and Draco were both convinced of where they believed Snape's loyalties lie. But which one was correct? It had to be Dumbledore. He was the most powerful wizard of the age. Surely Snape couldn't have fooled _him._ And Draco was just a young guy their own age, and surely easy to fool. But what if Dumbledore _was_ wrong?

Carl didn't want to listen to it, any of it. He had already been thinking about all of what they were talking about, and now it was just making things worse. He wanted to be able to think that Dumbledore was in the right because he was the most powerful wizard of the time, but things couldn't be for sure now. It seemed that there was alot more to this than just Wenny and himself now.

Then he heard footsteps thundering up the stairs to the Tower. Carl felt as if his heart had stopped. They could either be members from the Order, and they could get Dumbledore and them out of this mess. Or...they could be Death Eaters who could just help Draco and rid themselves of Professor Dumbledore, a thought he didn't really want at the moment. Then about four people came up behind Draco. _They definitely aren't Order,_ Carl thought. Then what had happened to the Order?

Wenny cringed and reached over for Carl's arm when she saw the four strangers walk through the Tower door. They were rather vicious looking, especially the one with matted gray hair. Dumbledore referred to him as "Fenrir," which at first didn't sound familiar. But after a few moments of hearing the conversation between 'Fenrir' and Dumbledore, Wenny remembered hearing about him. He was a brutal werewolf who had done some unspeakable things.

It wasn't until that moment, being completely terrified of not only the Death Eaters, but of the werewolf as well, that Wenny remembered that she could attempt to apparate herself and Carl off the Tower. But should she? Or should they stay where they were for the time being and hope that none of the people on the Tower discovered them?

Wenny closed her eyes, trying to calm herself enough to think clearly. She was about to try to get Carl's attention to ask him about apparating when something made her quickly turn back towards the scene playing out infront of them. The door had opened once more and one of the Death Eaters had just addressed Professor Snape. She wanted to be glad to see him there, but the fact that they weren't sure which side he was truly on kept her from it. As she turned to look at Carl for his reaction, she heard Dumbledore's quiet voice.

_"Severus..."_

Carl had been looking back and forth between the Death Eaters and Dumbledore. As soon as he heard the one that Dumbledore had referred to as 'Amycus' speak Snape's name, he turned his head quickly and saw Professor Snape standing there. A breath of relief left him, but then he realized Dumbledore's tone as he said Snape's name. He looked slowly from Professor Dumbledore then back to Snape. Was Dumbledore...pleading? This scared Carl, Dumbledore pleading to Snape.

_"Severus...please..."_, he heard Dumbledore say very quietly. A chill went down Carl's spine. He hated the tone Dumbledore was using. He kept his gaze on Snape and then saw him raise his wand. Carl's heart was racing faster and faster, and he could feel him starting to shake his head. _"Avada Kedavra!"_ Carl's gaze followed the jet of green light that shot from Snape's wand to Dumbledore. He wanted to scream, to yell, to do something, but held it back.

Carl watched as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. He had to look away after that, as he felt his jaw clenching, harder than usual. He thought he could feel blood in his mouth and realized he had been biting down on his tongue, but he didn't really care at the moment. The realization hit him surprisingly quick. Snape had just murdered Dumbledore.

Wenny was too shocked to even close her eyes or turn her head away. She just sort of watched the scene, completely numb from what had just occurred right infront of them. Had Professor Snape really just murdered Dumbledore? She had seen it. It had to have happened. Yet, it didn't seem real. She looked over to Carl, wondering what was going through his mind at the moment. It was difficult enough for Wenny herself to comprehend, but given Carl's biological relation to Professor Snape, it must've been even more devastating for him.

The Death Eaters were still on the Tower, so Wenny knew better than to try to talk to Carl at the moment. She watched as Professor Snape grabbed Draco and led him out of the Tower, followed by the remaining Death Eaters and the werewolf. She had been about to speak to Carl when she heard another voice, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ She quickly looked over and saw Harry jump over a fallen Death Eater.

Wenny waited a few minutes before turning back to Carl. She didn't even know what to say, so she simply looked at him, completely stunned at what they had just witnessed.

Carl had closed his eyes and had his head bowed down towards the ground. He didn't know what to think or do. After a moment when he thought he was going to be sick and when he saw Harry going down the stairs, he slowly opened his eyes. And the bloody taste inside his mouth wasn't helping either. He cursed and then stood up before looking down at Wenny. "I knew I should've killed him when I had the chance," he said. He didn't think it was exactly the right thing to say, but it's how he felt now.

The image of Dumbledore being thrown backwards into the air was still haunting him. The greatest wizard of the time was dead. But how? Dumbledore would never have let him be in such a sticky situation. But yet they had both witnessed it. Carl wished he could just pretend as if it hadn't happened, it wasn't real, but he knew that wasn't an option. "Come on," he said, reaching out his hand for Wenny's. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he'd have to act quickly if he was going to do anything.

Normally, Wenny would've said something to Carl for his comment about killing Professor Snape. But after what they had just seen, which she was still in awe of, she couldn't blame him. Though, to be fair, if Professor Snape hadn't done it, one of the other Death Eaters surely would have. But who cared about being fair to the man who had just murdered Dumbledore? The worst part of it was that Dumbledore had trusted Professor Snape. Had Dumbledore been wrong to do so? It would appear that way, but when was Dumbledore ever wrong? Especially to this extent?

Wenny nodded slightly as she took Carl's hand. She had no idea where they could go or what they could do, but she was sure she didn't want to stay on the Tower any longer. Dumbledore and Professor Snape had been their last two allies, not counting the other Order members, most of whom they had never even met, and now one of them had been murdered by the other. Wenny felt more vulnerable and more terrified than ever before. Who would they turn to now?

Carl took Wenny's hand and then started back down the stairs, practically running and skipping two steps at a time. He still didn't know what he was going to do, but now he didn't quite care. He would do whatever he had to to stop Snape. After awhile, they were close to the Entrance Hall. With every step, it seemed Carl's anger was increasing.

"Carl, slow down!," Wenny said in a loud whisper. She figured the scene on the Tower would have bothered him, but he was practically dragging her down the stairs and the idea of falling and hurting herself really didn't appeal to her in their current situation. Hopping around on a broken leg would not allow them to escape from Death Eaters if they happened to be caught.

She could see the anger on his face and though she had expected it, it frightened her a bit. She had only seen Carl this angry a few times since they had met and each time had been when he performed an Unforgivable.

Carl could still taste the blood in his mouth, and it seemed to just fuel his anger. He figured his anger was just hiding his confusion. But he didn't want to even try to figure everything out right now. He had seen Snape murder Professor Dumbledore, and that's all he needed to know. With each step, he went a little faster.

"Hurry up, Wenny," he said quickly, ignoring her telling him to slow down. It felt as if that were an impossible thing to do at the moment. Not only was he running faster every second, his mind seemed to be doing the same thing. He just wanted to ignore what was going on in his head and focus on what was happening now.

"Ugh, I'm trying!," Wenny said furiously, a bit annoyed at being pulled down the steps so quickly and at the fact that Carl didn't seem to care if she, or he as well, were injured in the process.

She wanted to ask him where they were going or what he was planning on doing, though she figured she already knew at least some of the ideas running through his mind. She was mentally preparing herself to keep him from murdering Professor Snape. Not because Professor Snape didn't deserve it for what they had just witnessed, but because she didn't want to see Carl thrown into Azkaban. How would she survive without him?

Carl was too caught up in everything to realize Wenny's tone and how annoyed she sounded. The only thing he could think about was Snape. How could he have done that, let that happen? He wasn't who Carl had thought. This man could not be Carl's father. At least, that's what Carl wanted to believe.

He jumped the last four steps on the stairs and came to the corridor. He couldn't see much as it was only dimly lit, but he could make out the outline of Harry. Carl continued to hold onto Wenny's hand and then led her down an opposite corridor that would hopefully lead them around this corridor. He heard spells being shot behind them, and knew the battle wasn't over.

Wenny, too, heard the spells being shot and hitting and breaking various objects, and people fighting and yelling at each other. She continued quickly walking with Carl, wishing this was some kind of bad dream and that she would wake up any moment. Was Hogwarts, the one place she always knew they were safe, really under attack?

"Where can we go?," she asked Carl quietly, looking around to make sure there was no one following them. She wasn't just asking him where in the castle they could go, but where would they go now that Hogwarts was no longer safe? Was there even anywhere they _could_ go? The thought of them having no where left to escape the Death Eaters terrified her.

"I don't know, Wenny," Carl said hurriedly, practically yelling. He winced slightly as he realized he had just yelled at Wenny, and she hadn't done anything. He shook it off, deciding he'd have to make it up to her later. Right now, he had to get to Snape. He still didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he had to get to him.

They found themselves in the Entrance Hall and the big oak front doors had been blasted open. Carl ran down the stairs from the Entrance Hall and down onto the grounds. He could see Snape, Malfoy, and the other Death Eaters running towards the front gates. From there they would be able to apparate, and he knew it.

Wenny gave Carl a somewhat nasty look for yelling at her, but she knew how furious he was at the battle going on around them. She decided to say something to him later about it, but at the moment, they had to focus on surviving. Or at least that was _her_ main concern. She had a feeling Carl's was somewhat different.

As they ran out onto the grounds, Wenny saw the Death Eaters, Snape included, as well as Draco Malfoy, running towards the front gates. She looked over at Carl and could tell he was wanting to stop them. She did, too, in a way, but she was also frightened at what they might do if she and Carl tried. It would only take two seconds for one of them to kill them both on the spot.

Carl looked around for a moment, from the Death Eaters then back towards the Entrance Hall, and then saw someone coming. He grabbed Wenny along with him as he headed around the side of the stairs. He watched as Harry ran down the steps from the Entrance Hall and start running towards the Death Eaters when he fell, and then watched for a moment as Harry fought two Death Eaters.

Then Carl turned to Wenny. "You stay here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he told her. He had to get past the gates to stop at least Snape from disapparating out of here. He looked back and then saw Harry and Snape were shooting spells at each other.

Wenny felt herself being pulled to the side of the stairs and saw Harry run out of the castle. She watched as he started fighting the Death Eaters and continued on to Snape.

When she heard Carl, she grabbed onto his sleeve and shook her head, "Carl, no! You can't go out there. They'll...they'll kill you." She looked over towards where Harry and Snape were currently dueling and then back to Carl, _"please_ let Harry handle it." She knew Carl would most likely refuse to do so, but she had to at least try to keep him from going out there and getting himself killed. "If you go out there, you know that I'm coming with you," she added, determined to keep him with her.

Carl had his wand out as he looked from Snape to Harry and then back to Wenny. "If you say they'll kill me, then they won't stop at just me. They'll kill you, too. And I'm not going to let that happen. You're staying here," he told her, looking into her eyes.

His heart was racing faster now as he heard screaming. It was Harry. "You see?" he said, turning back to Wenny. "I have to stop Snape," he said, stopping himself from saying he had to _murder_ Snape, which was how he was feeling. He stood back up straight, as he had been bending down, and continued to look down at Wenny.

At the risk of being cheesy, Wenny had to appeal to Carl somehow, "but they may as well kill me if they kill you. I can't live without you. You have to know that." The thought of her seeing Carl murdered and being without him for the rest of her life bothered her more than the thought of being killed by a Death Eater. And that was saying something, as she didn't particularly want to die.

She turned to look at Harry and Snape who were still fighting, though it seemed Snape was winning. She also saw that Hagrid's cabin was on fire and frowned. "I'm going with you," she said, determined not to be left behind alone.

Carl took a deep breath, realizing he didn't quite have a choice now. Although the thought of hexing Wenny to keep her safe had crossed his mind. He slowly nodded his head a little. "Alright," he said quietly. He grabbed her hand again and kissed her deeply. "I'm sorry," he said softly against her lips. "For everything."

He then looked back towards Snape and Harry and saw Snape was running away again. "Come on," he said, less demandingly than last time as he started running again, but keeping to where, hopefully, no one could see them.

Wenny wouldn't have told him at the time, but she also wanted to go with Carl to keep him from becoming a murderer. She knew that was the driving force behind his insistance on going after Snape. He wanted to kill the man.

Knowing they didn't have time to debate whether or not he should be sorry 'for everything,' Wenny simply nodded and returned his kiss before they both began running towards the Death Eaters.

As they ran, Wenny silently prayed that no one saw them and caught them, or worse. She wasn't exactly sure what they were going to be able to do to stop the Death Eaters, but she knew Carl wanted them to try. She just hoped it didn't get them both killed. As they neared the Death Eaters, she pulled out her wand.

Carl continued to run quickly, but trying his best to stay out of anyone's line of vision. He saw the Death Eaters going out of the gate, and he sped up. Once he saw that they were fixing to apparate, he had to do something to stop them. He pointed his wand at Snape. "Stupefy!" he yelled. Although, as Snape was quicker and had blocked the spell.

Carl continued to run towards them, although he caught a weird look from Snape. It was a cross between a glare and something else Carl couldn't quite make out. But the next thing he realized, the Death Eaters were gone.

Carl cursed loudly as he reached the gate and where the Death Eaters had been. He kicked the blasted down gate hard and cursed again. He turned to Wenny. "Apparate us to the Death Eater's headquarters," he said, his breathing quick. "Now," he said, his anger coarsing through his blood.

Wenny watched Carl try to stupefy Snape and was thankful that Snape hadn't retaliated for it. She had lagged a little behind Carl as they ran, as she wasn't quite as fast as he was, but she caught up when he slowed down near the gate.

She heard his request and looked at him wide-eyed, "what?" Surely he was joking, why would he want to purposely go back to that horrible place? "Carl, if we go there, they'll kill us for sure!" They had already escaped the place several times, it was doubtful the Death Eaters would allow it to happen again.

Carl hated being so angry when he was with Wenny, but right now all he could think about was Snape. "Then apparate us close and I'll go in and kill that," he said, stopping short and taking a deep breath. "We can't just let him escape like that...," he said. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said, more calmly.

"It's not up to us," Wenny said, hoping to somehow figure out a way of talking him out of wanting to go to the Death Eater Headquarters. "When the Ministry hears of what happened, they're going to start looking for him. He'll go to Azkaban for life," she said, trying to calm him down a bit. "And you are _not_ going to kill anyone."

Carl looked down at the ground for a minute, having to stop himself from doing anything too drastic infront of Wenny, or what scared him worse, _to_ Wenny. He looked back up, his jaw still clenched from way before. "Wenny, _please,"_ he pleaded. He didn't want to argue with her last comment. At the moment, he felt like he really could kill Snape, and he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up actually doing it.

Wenny watched Carl for a few moments, then looked around at the chaos still going on around them. She really didn't want to risk them going back to the Death Eater Headquarters, but she could tell how much Carl wanted to do something about what they had just seen and she didn't entirely blame him.

"You know this is against my better judgement," she said. "And if anything happens while we're there...," she started. She wasn't sure how to finish it, though. She didn't want to be cruel to him and say she would blame him, but going to the Death Eater Headquarters could very well get them both killed. If they stayed here at Hogwarts, they were at least somewhat safe.

Somewhere inside of him, Carl knew what he was risking. But it was as if he didn't care, although he had a feeling that he would regret it later. "Do it, Wenny," he said, gripping his wand firmly.


	53. Saved By The Lie

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Saved By The Lie**

Wenny watched Carl for another moment, still not wanting to do this. But after another moment, she finally took his hand and closed her eyes, concentrating on that horrible place they had escaped from several times. Within a few seconds, they appeared infront of the Death Eater Headquarters. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments, scared of what she might find if she opened them.

Carl had closed his eyes and just when he was about to open them again, he heard someone say, "Expelliarmus!" He felt his wand fly out of his hand and he opened his eyes to see Death Eaters surrounding them. "Where's Snape!?" he yelled instantly. He felt one of the Death Eaters grab the back of his collar. "Where's Snape!?" he yelled again, struggling against them as they seemed to ignore his question. He looked over at Wenny and saw a Death Eater grab her, too, before they started taking them inside.

As soon as Wenny heard the curse, her heart sank. This was exactly what she had been afraid of. She looked over at Carl as the Death Eater grabbed her and started forcing her to walk with him into the miserable old building that she knew all too well.

They were led to the same holding cell they had been in the last time they were here. But unlike last time, the Death Eater who had led her in, searched her pockets until he found her wand, which he took with him as he left the room.

As the Death Eaters went out the door and closed it behind them, Carl ran to the door and beat his fists on it. "I want to see Severus Snape!" he yelled. Although, he knew it was no use. He kicked the door and cursed. After a moment, he leaned his back against the door and sank down to the ground, putting his head in his hands.

He didn't know what to say. He knew that this was all his fault. Unlike all the other times that Wenny had blamed herself for being back here, this time Carl had forced her to apparate here. He hit his head against the door as the realization sank in. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said, knowing that an apology would do nothing.

Wenny turned away from Carl as he yelled and kicked the door. She wanted to tell him to give it up, that it was over. They were back in the Death Eater Headquarters and probably wouldn't be lucky enough to escape this time, a thought that made her want to cry. She wasn't one to say 'I told you so,' but she had told him that it was just asking for trouble coming here.

She heard his apology and turned to him, not knowing what to say. The other times they had been here, she had been running on adrenaline, fighting to escape. But this time, something was different. She was beginning to lose hope that they would ever escape this nightmare. And the sad part was, they had actually put themselves here this time. No one had tricked them or forced them. They had come willingly, knowing the risk they were taking. Maybe it really was supposed to end like this.

Carl kept his head in his hands for a few moments before hitting his head against the door again and then returning it to his hands. He couldn't believe that he had gotten them both back here yet again. And now he felt like they had no one left, with witnessing proof that Snape wasn't on their side. He looked up at Wenny, his vision slightly blurry. If he was the cause of anything happening to her, he wouldn't know what he would do. He couldn't let anything happen to her. After a moment, he stood back up, feeling slightly dizzy from screaming and banging against the door.

"That's not going to help," Wenny said when Carl hit his head against the door again. Sure, that was obvious, but she wasn't particularly happy with him at the moment. She was trying really hard not to blame him, but it was becoming increasingly difficult by the second.

She turned and walked over to one of the far corners of the room and sat down. All they could do was wait. Wait be rescued, tortured, or killed. The first, she felt was rather improbable. The second two, she didn't want to think about.

Carl watched Wenny, now knowing that it would take time for her to even start getting over what he had done, if she even ever could. Unfortunately, it looked like time was one thing they didn't have. But then again, he couldn't blame her. He just wished that whatever was going to happen to them, it could at the very least happen without him feeling so incredibly guilty.

He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair as he walked over to the opposite corner as Wenny and sat down. He returned his head to his hands and rubbed his head that he had just realized had been hurting. He wished he could say something to Wenny, but knew there was really nothing that he could say. No matter how many times he apologized, it seemed as if it wouldn't change anything, and he knew it.

Wenny glanced over and watched as Carl sat on the opposite side of the room. She hated being separated from him like this, but part of her was furious with him for getting them into this situation. She had tried to talk him out of it, because she had a feeling it would end up like this, with them trapped by the Death Eaters, counting down the minutes until their demise. But when she started thinking about that, how this could be the end, she hated to think that they might spend their last hours separated and angry. "I do understand why you wanted to come here," she said quietly. She wasn't saying that she didn't feel he was wrong, just that she understood. It was a start at least.

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" he said, looking back up at her slowly. "I should have known this was going to happen. Following Death Eaters to their headquarters?" he said, shaking his head. He was furious with himself, just as he could see Wenny was with him. He sighed and put his head back in his hands, and then hit his elbows against the walls. He had forced Wenny to bring him here, risking her life. And now it seemed as if no one was going to be saving them this time. And even all of this didn't stop him from feeling hatred towards Snape. Carl was still determined to confront the man.

"Carl, please stop doing that. It's not going to help matters if you injure yourself," Wenny said, watching him. Not only that, but she hated him doing this to himself. As upset as she was, she still couldn't stand the thought of him being upset with himself. Yet she knew he was.

After a few moments, she slowly got up and walked over and sat down beside him. Her first instinct was to say they were going to get out of this, but she didn't want to say things that she didn't really believe. "There has to be some way out of this. Right?," she said, trying to reassure both him and herself. Though, she wasn't doing too good of a job reassuring herself. She was still as doubtful and as terrified as before.

Carl nodded his head a little as he looked back up at her. "There always is," he said, going along with Wenny and trying to reassure them both. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes for a few seconds before looking at her again. "You know, I know that you're mad at me. And I don't blame you. I know that asking you to apparate us to the Death Eater headquarters was wrong. Not to mention stupid," he added after awhile. He really didn't want whatever was going to happen to them to happen without them talking. "I know all of that, Wenny. I just...I just want you to know that I love you," he said quietly, watching her closely.

Wenny looked down and nodded slightly, "I know you do." She leaned back against the wall, "and to be fair, I could've refused." As upset as she was, she really didn't want to point fingers. How would she feel if they weren't able to escape this and the last thing she had ever said to him was that it was all his fault?

She sat there in silence for a few minutes, fighting not to cry. She hated being in this room, the memories they had here. Of that horrible Russo guy, and of watching each other tortured. But she knew things were likely to get even worse and it terrified her. "Carl, what if we're...not as lucky this time?"

Carl sighed and put his arm around her. He knew that they both knew this was his fault, but right now he had to focus on being here for Wenny. "Don't say that," he said quietly. "We got out of here once by ourselves. We can do it again." Although, last time, Wenny had had her wand and Dumbledore was still alive and Snape had supposedly been on their side. Now, the only thing going for them was that they were both alive. They couldn't even be sure if the Order was alright.

Wenny nodded, wanting so badly to believe him. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was trying to block out all of the negative thoughts that were currently appearing in her mind, of them being tortured or worse, but she wasn't having much luck so far.

Suddenly, she lifted her head up and looked at him. "Carl, promise me that we'll fight this with everything we have. We can't give up already or we'll never get out of here. And...we have to realize that there is a chance that one of us may not make it out of here. But, if that happens, the other one has to keep going, they can't give up," she said. She was hoping that if that happened, that if one of them didn't make it, that it would be her. She knew she wouldn't be able to go on without him. He was the strong one. If he survived this, he could be so beneficial to the Order. Much more so than she could.

Carl looked over at Wenny for a moment and then slowly nodded his head. He looked back down to the ground. He hoped that if anything happened to him, then Wenny wouldn't give up trying to make it out of there. But if anything happened to Wenny, he doubted very much that he would be able not to. He was positive that all his hope would be lost. The only reason he had even a glimmer of hope now was because Wenny was right next to him.

But another reason that he wouldn't be able to leave Wenny was because he got her in this mess in the first place. And this time, he really would be the one to blame. He held her a little closer. "I'm so sorry, Wenny," he said quietly, feeling the need to say it again. He closed his eyes for a moment as he rested his head a little on hers.

Wenny wasn't sure what to say to Carl. She couldn't exactly say 'don't worry about it,' because she knew he would worry about it, as would she. The situation they were currently in was nothing to sneeze at, as it was very likely that they wouldn't survive this time. But she still didn't want to make him feel bad by blaming him. So instead, she just nodded, accepting his apology, as she reached over and took his hand in hers.

Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped the most horrifying collection of men Wenny had ever seen. They definitely were not playing games this time, as her father, Rabastan, Lucius, and that horrible man, Russo, all walked into the room.

"Ah, how are you two enjoying your little 'home away from home'? You do seem to come here rather often. Too bad, you won't be leaving this time," Lucius hissed.

Carl looked up at them, the horrible feeling of helplessness coming over him. He felt like he had already lost hope by just seeing them. Then he looked over at Wenny. He couldn't let anything happen to her. He stood up and glared at the men, his anger coming back to him. Although, he controlled himself just enough to stop him from doing anything too stupid.

Even so, sometimes he couldn't control his mouth. "You must be a really pathetic batch of Death Eaters. We've been here twice and you haven't even managed to kill us yet," he said with a scoff.

_"Yet_ being the keyword, boy," Rabastan said with a malacious grin and a hint of hunger in his eyes. They were all holding their wands and looked from Wenny to Carl.

Wenny quickly stood up and grabbed Carl's arm. She hoped he wouldn't do something to anger their 'visitors.' Though, if they were going to be killed, she knew they shouldn't go down without a fight. But she didn't want him to anger them before they even had a chance to figure out how they might be able to escape.

Wenny looked from Carl to Rabastan as the two spoke. "What are you waiting for then? Let's have at it," she said, tired of the games these people continued to play with them. She figured the men wouldn't kill them at the moment. They would want to continue to mess with their minds first.

The one named Russo walked over to Wenny and grinned, "I do like your fiestiness." Wenny simply glared at him. She refused to let him intimidate her this time. Or at least _yet._

"Leave her alone," Carl said between clenched teeth as he glared at Russo. He loathed this guy, almost as much as the others, if not just as much. He glared from Russo then to Wenny's father, shaking his head a little. He still hated to believe that this guy was allowing for these men to hurt his daughter.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Lucius asked as he took a step towards them. "As it would seem you both are outnumbered and not to mention quite defenseless," he sneered.

Wenny knew Lucius was right. They were outnumbered two to one and were both wandless. What could they possibly do to defend themselves? Even if they tried to physically fight these men, it would only take one of them to hex her and Carl both or worse.

"When you escaped last time, we unfortunately had to postpone our little party that we had planned. But have no fear, it has been rescheduled. And this time, we won't allow you the time to escape," Dray said. "In fact, why don't we go ahead with it now?"

Carl could feel his heart sinking as he glared at Dray. "You're sick, you know that? Your blood is running through this girl, this amazing girl." He took a step towards them. "You just don't care, do you?" he said, trying to keep himself together even though he could hear them all laughing.

"Yes, and Snape's blood is running through you," Lucius said, receiving a glare from Carl. "You didn't think that we didn't know this whole time, did you?" he asked with a smirk. "But it seems as though Snape has left you to die just as well, Carl."

"Enough talk," Rabastan spoke up as he took a step forward. "We don't want to give them time to think too much, now do we? Russo, move out of the way," he said with a smirk as he help up his wand.

Wenny felt completely helpless as she numbly watched the scene infront of her. There was no way out of it this time. They weren't even going to have time to think of anything to do, as Rabastan was currently aiming his wand at them. It would take him all of one second to kill either her or Carl. Two to kill them both. She closed her eyes, almost hoping he would kill her first, as she didn't want to watch Carl die.

"Why are you doing this?," she asked quietly, "what have we done? Tell me that." She had no idea why she was asking, it wasn't as if they truly needed a reason. Death Eaters fed on the thrill of killing. But perhaps if she could stall long enough, they may, by some small chance, get an opportunity to do _something._

"Stupid girl. You know very well why we're 'doing this'," Lucius said. He glanced at the other men, "you two know information that cannot be shared."

As soon as he said it, Wenny replied "what if we've already shared it with someone? Wouldn't you want to know who we told?" She wasn't sure whether that would make the situation better or worse, but it might give them a few moments at least. She glanced over at Carl, hoping he had some idea of what they might be able to do to get themselves out of this situation.

Carl looked back at Wenny for a moment, knowing he had to thank her quick thinking for them both not being dead yet. He looked back at the Death Eaters, sending a glare to Lucius and then looked at Rabastan as the man walked towards Wenny.

"Who have you told, girl?" he demanded loudly, pointing his wand straight at Wenny and pushing it a bit hard into her neck.

"She hasn't told anyone!" Carl yelled quickly to Rabastan. "It was me and if I tell you, you're just going to kill us both. Now leave her alone," he said, glaring at him.

Rabastan walked over to Carl and grabbed his collar and put his wand to his throat. "You will tell me, or your girlfriend here will feel the pain of the Cruciatus Curse right infront of you." He motioned to Russo, and Russo pulled out his wand with a grin on his face.

That wasn't quite what Wenny had been hoping would happen, but then again, they weren't dead yet, so maybe it was an improvement after all. Though, she wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting. Surely not that they would simply release them. "He's lying," Wenny said strongly. "He hasn't told anyone, it was me. I told...," she said, trying to watch both Rabastan and Russo at the same time. She had no idea who she could possibly name. Dumbledore was dead, so that would no longer work, and she didn't want to endanger any of the Order members.

"Who? Who did you tell?," Lucius asked, walking closer to them.

Wenny glanced at Carl, not sure what else to do. Then it came to her. Harry. Voldemort was already after him and Harry constantly had more protection around him than practically anyone else in the wizarding world. She would have to apologize if she ever saw him again, though. "Harry Potter." She winced, not sure what to expect the men to say or do.

Carl looked from Lucius, Rabastan, and Wenny and Russo. He watched as the Death Eaters gave each other glances that Carl couldn't quite make out.

Then Rabastan nodded to Russo. "Very well," he said. Then he turned back to Carl. "I thought I taught you not to lie, boy," he said and then punched Carl hard in the stomach, making him bend over. He was glad that it was only a punch at the moment though, Carl thought as he caught his breath.

Russo looked a bit disappointed that he was delayed a little longer now as he lowered his wand only slightly.

"Leave him alone!," Wenny yelled at Rabastan. Though, as much as she hated seeing Carl beaten like that, she had to be at least a little relieved that Rabastan hadn't crucio'ed him. Or worse.

Rabastan turned to Wenny. "You dare try to tell me what to do?," he asked before backhanding her. "He's my son," he said through gritted teeth, "I'll do what I please to him." He held his wand up to Carl's chest.

"He's _not_ your son, thank Merlin. And I said leave him alone. I'm the one who told. He was only trying to protect me," she said. She couldn't even force herself to look over at Carl.

Carl looked down at the wand that was pointed at him and then up at Rabastan. "Don't touch her!" he yelled, feeling himself slowly starting to lose control of his anger. "And I'm not your son!" he yelled before kicking the wand out of Rabastan's hand and then running over to him and punching him, knocking him to the ground, and continued to beat him.

Then Carl felt himself being pulled off of Rabastan by Lucius and Dray, as he struggled to try to hit Rabastan again. As Rabastan was sitting up again, Carl kicked him in the face. He was pulled away from him, still strugging and cursing as he tried to get out of Lucius's and Dray's grasps.

As soon as Wenny saw what was happening, she ran over to Russo, who was distracted by the fight, and kicked him as hard as she could. As soon as he doubled over, she grabbed for his wand and pulled with all of her might.

Of course, even with being in pain, he wasn't about to simply let go of his wand, but Wenny wasn't about to give up. So they played a game of tug of war for a few moments before Wenny stepped down as hard as she could on his toes and punched him in the face. Of course, not being a fighter, her punch wasn't as forceful or as aimed as well as she would've liked, but it served it's purpose. She was able to pull his wand out of his hand.

She quickly backed up, so that she was opposite of all five men. Yes, she was outnumbered, and she wasn't nearly as experienced at dueling as they were, but she had to do _something._ "Leave him alone!," she yelled, wand extended towards them.


	54. Attacking Snape

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Attacking Snape**

Carl looked up at Wenny and stopped struggling for a moment. But as soon as he heard the men laughing, he started up again. He felt a blow to his side, not knowing if it was Lucius or Dray who had hit him, but he found himself having to catch his breath again. "Do something, Wenny!" he yelled after he caught his breath a little.

Rabastan laughed as he stood up again and pointed his wand to Wenny. "What are you going to do, girl? You're up against four Death Eaters who are far more experienced than you at curses. But come on, lets see what you have," he said with a smirk.

Wenny felt like crying when she saw them hit Carl. Then she heard him speak to her, but she had no idea what to do. She knew she was no match for the Death Eaters even on her best days and she definitely wasn't under pressure like this. In a way, she wished she were more like Carl and that she could do an unforgivable, but she knew she wouldn't be able to and if she attempted and failed, they'd simply laugh at her and turn it on her. She backed up a little bit, trying to think of what she could possibly do. She looked over at Carl, wishing there was a way she could give the wand to him. He was much better at this stuff than she was. Then she looked back at Rabastan, still struggling to come up with some curse, _any_ curse, that might at least distract them long enough for her to give the wand to Carl.

Wenny glanced back over at Carl, trying to somehow communicate for him to run over to her once she did the curse. Looking back at Rabastan again, she gripped the wand tighter in her hand and said the incantation to the bat-bogey curse. It was only a school kid's joke curse, but she hoped it might be unexpected enough to be a distraction.

Rabastan laughed as he simply flicked his wand and the curse was blocked. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked with a grin as he continued to point his wand at Wenny.

Carl was slowly giving up struggling from Lucius's and Dray's grips. "I want to see Snape!" he yelled again suddenly. He thought it might help distract Rabastan from Wenny, at least he hoped so.

Rabastan kept his gaze on Wenny. "He had to run another little errand," he said. "But don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back soon to join in on the party," he said as he continued to watch Wenny with a smirk on his face.

Wenny cursed under her breath. She should've expected him to block it. Great, now what was she supposed to do? He would block every curse she could possibly do. Even expelliarmus. Ugh! Why couldn't she be good at performing spells without saying the incantation!?

She closed her eyes, trying to remember what the professor said about how to make spells work silently. Then opened her eyes back up and glanced from Rabastan to Carl and back. She wished Carl could somehow tell her what to do, but since they couldn't read each others minds, that was impossible. Wait...what if Rabastan could see her thoughts? Maybe she should try to cast the spell without making eye contact with him.

Wenny looked down at Rabastan's chest and thought as hard as she could on the words _'Accio Rabastan's wand.'_

Carl looked from Wenny to Rabastan for awhile after giving up his struggling. He watched Wenny and could tell what she was trying to do and hoped that it would work, and then saw Rabastan's wand fly to Wenny and heard him curse.

At that moment, the door opened and Snape stood in the doorway. "I said to wait until I arrived!" he shouted loudly after he had looked around at the scene infront of him for a moment.

Car felt his anger boiling as high as it had been earlier that night. He started struggling again from Lucius's and Dray's grips. "I swear I'll kill you!" he yelled towards Snape and cursed as he struggled harder.

Wenny was extremely surprised when she saw Rabastan's wand fly towards her. She caught it and couldn't help but smile just a bit. She had actually just done an unspoken spell. But she couldn't spend too much time congratulating herself, as she saw Snape walk in the room and heard Carl's threat. "Carl! No!," she yelled. As much as she disliked Professor Snape at the moment, she did not want to see Carl become a murderer and especially did not want to see him thrown into Azkaban.

Holding both wands as tightly as she could, and keeping one of them aimed at Rabastan, Wenny slowly walked over to Carl. "Carl, please. It's not worth it," she pleaded.

Carl continued to glare at Snape, and Wenny's voice sounded as if she were miles away. His anger began coming back worse than before, and the bloody taste in his mouth was returning as he realized that he had started to bite his tongue again. He began slowly shaking his head a little. "He deserves to die!" he yelled, continuing to struggle against the two Death Eaters.

Snape looked around at all of them and then pointed his wand at Wenny. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled and the wands that Wenny were holding went flying out of her hands and to the ground. Rabastan and Russo picked up their wands, and watched Snape.

Wenny didn't know what to do, she hated what they had seen just as much as she knew Carl did, but she still did not want to see Carl become a murderer. She had been about to say something to him when the wands flew out of her hands. She quickly turned and glared at Snape and then at Rabastan and Russo. Now what would they do, since they all had their wands back and she and Carl were completely defenseless again?

"Professor Snape, why did you do it?," Wenny asked, on the verge of tears. "Why did you kill him?" She knew he would most likely laugh at her or something, but if they were going to die here, she at least wanted some answers first. Though, it technically didn't matter if she got them or not. But killing Dumbledore, unarmed, was the worst thing someone could possibly do. Especially since Dumbledore had defended Professor Snape with everything he had.

"Don't waste your breath, Wenny," Carl said as he tried to suck the blood away out of his mouth as it was starting to make him a little sick. "He's not going to answer you. He doesn't need an excuse. It's because he's a filthy Death Eater," he said angrily, calmly standing there now, but continuing to glare at Snape.

"If you must know," Snape said, glaring from Carl to Wenny, "I could very well tell that Draco wasn't going to do it, and I had to act quick." He looked around at the other men, "the others need you all downstairs."

Wenny glanced over at Carl. She knew he was right, but she still wanted to hear it from Professor Snape. "But what sense does that make!? You had to do it because Draco didn't? Why did either one of you have to kill Dumbledore? He trusted you!," Wenny replied to Snape.

She heard him talk to the other Death Eaters and wondered if he meant them as well. The last few times they were here, they had talked of taking her and Carl downstairs for the 'party.' So was that why Snape had come in the room? To let them know they were about to begin and to bring Carl and Wenny down?

Carl looked around and watched as they nodded. Lucius and Dray let go of Carl's arm, which he thought was a bit wreckless seeing as the first thing he wanted to do was to attack Snape. He watched as Lucius, Dray, Rabastan, and Russo walked towards the door and left the room.

Snape closed the door and then looked at Carl and Wenny for what felt like the longest time.

Carl couldn't take it anymore. He ran to Snape and didn't care about the wand that was in his hand. He punched him in his face and jumped on him, making him fall to the ground. He continued to punch him for a while until he felt the wand on his chest, but he just simply glared at Snape whose hair was all over his face.

Wenny watched the four men leave the room, then looked back over at Snape. She couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't taken her and Carl with them and why Snape stayed behind. She had been about to ask him about it, when she saw Carl run over and attack the Professor. _"Carl!,"_ she yelled, running over and trying to pull him off of Professor Snape, "Carl, _stop it!"_

She stopped trying to pull at him when she saw that Professor Snape had his wand pointed at Carl's chest. To say she was scared was putting it lightly. But surely the Professor wouldn't kill his own son? Though, he had just murdered someone whom Wenny was sure viewed Snape somewhat as a son.

"Carl, please...come back over here and _calm down,"_ Wenny said somewhat quietly, not wanting to upset the Professor. After all, he was the only one with a wand at the moment.

Carl very slowly stood up and backed away with Wenny a little as he watched Snape stand up and move his hair out of his face. Carl spit at Snape, which ended up as a mass of bloody saliva, and he continued to glare at him. All he wanted to do right now was hurt him, if not kill him.

Snape wiped away the spit with his sleeve and held his wand loosely at them. "You are both more foolish than I first thought, and that was pretty foolish to begin with," he spat at them.

Wenny wasn't even going to say anything to Carl, she had already told him to calm down and at least he was backing away now. She could understand his fury, but he had to control it, especially when they were wandless. Hitting Professor Snape was sure to do nothing but infuriate him.

"Why are you here, Professor?," Wenny asked, in a less than pleasant tone. She was tired of his games and tired of being called foolish. Yes, they had made a mistake, but it was over with now and being called foolish was just a waste of time and breath.

Carl found that he couldn't talk for a few moments, he just simply glared at Snape, shaking a little from punching him. Before Snape could answer Wenny's question, Carl found his voice. "You're a coward!" he yelled. "Killing a defenseless man and now defenseless kids, one of whom is supposedly _your son!"_

_"Don't call me a coward!"_ Snape shouted. He looked over at Wenny and lowered his wand slightly. "You both aren't going to believe me if I tell you. But I guess I have to tell you anyways," he said after a moment.

Wenny cringed a little when she heard Carl's comment to Snape and then cringed even more when she heard Snape shout at Carl. She put her arm around Carl in an attempt to calm him down or maybe it was out of fear, or maybe both, she wasn't sure.

"Tell us what?," she asked, looking at the Professor curiously. What could he possibly tell them that they wouldn't believe? They wouldn't have thought him capable of killing Dumbledore, had they not seen it with their own eyes. What could possibly be more difficult for them to believe than that?

Carl felt Wenny's arm around him and had to really fight the urge to start beating up Snape again. It seemed that all his fear was gone for the moment, being taken over by his anger as he continuing his glaring.

Snape walked closer to them, but kept his wand pointed up, probably to keep Carl from beating him to the ground again. He walked close and when he talked, he spoke almost silently. "Dumbledore is not dead," he said, barely moving his lips.

Wenny could tell that Carl still wanted to attack Snape, so she gave him a stern look and tightened her grasp a little. She turned back to look at Snape when she heard his comment. "I'm sorry, Professor, I don't think I heard you properly," she said. It had almost sounded as though he said Dumbledore wasn't dead. But how could that be? They had seen Snape use the Unforgivable curse on him and they had watched as Dumbledore fell backwards off the Tower. If, by some miracle, the curse hadn't killed the Headmaster, the fall surely did.

Carl watched Snape walk towards them and then read his lips more than heard what he had said. "You lying son of a bitch! You're just trying to gain our trust just like Wenny's dad did!" he yelled and then punched Snape again, making his way out of Wenny's grasp. He punched Snape a second time and then he heard Snape shout, "Petrificus Totalus." Carl suddenly felt his body go rigid and he fell to the ground. He tried to move, but knew it was hopeless.

"Carl!," Wenny said strongly, reaching for his arms to pull him away from the Professor, "stop!" She felt like a mother trying to make a child obey her. She didn't blame him for his suspicions, she had them as well, but she thought they should at least hear the Professor out before attacking him.

She saw the Professor petrify Carl and while she was sorry it had come to that, she figured it might be for the best. "I'm sorry, Professor," she started, giving Carl a slight glare, "can you please say that again?" She wanted to be sure she had truly heard him correctly.

Carl tried to look at Snape and Wenny, but didn't have a good line of vision on the ground. He slowly gave up and closed his eyes to try to listen to them. But he couldn't believe Wenny was apologizing to Snape for him after watching the man murder Dumbledore.

Snape glared at Carl and then looked at Wenny. "Dumbledore is not dead," he repeated more clearly, but still quietly. "Once we get you both out of here, I can prove it to you," he said, his wand now at his side. "You both were not meant to see what happened."

Wenny just watched the Professor for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying. "But, we saw you...and then he fell over the Tower...," she started, but then paused. "Did you just say you were going to get us out of here?" She glanced down to Carl and back to Snape. If he was telling the truth, they might actually get out of there alive. Though, as much as she wanted to believe that, they had just seen Snape kill Dumbledore. How were they supposed to believe him now?

Snape nodded his head. "I know you both have absolutely no reason to trust or believe me. I do not blame you. In fact, I would expect it of you. But hopefully me getting you both out of here and showing you that Dumbledore is still alive will prove otherwise." He turned to Carl with a glare. "Now if you want any chance of getting out of here alive, you'll cooperate with me, Carl," he said before he lifted the spell.

Wenny nodded, "what other choice do we have?" They had already nearly been killed by Rabastan and his gang, and if they hung around long enough for the men to return, they may not survive a second time. Here was someone offering to rescue them, so regardless of whether or not they liked him or trusted him, he seemed to be their only hope at the moment.

Once Snape had lifed the spell from Carl, Wenny looked over to the boy on the floor. She knew he was probably a bit upset that she hadn't yelled at Snape for petrifying him, but at the time, she thought being petrified might settle Carl down a bit, which was something he needed. She reached a hand out to him to help him stand up.

Carl sat up a little and looked from Wenny's hand and then up at her. He slowly took her hand and stood up, shaking his head a little as he had felt slightly dizzy. He looked from Wenny to Snape and glared at him. "If you do anything that's not helping us, I swear I'll kill you the first chance I get," he said. He knew him saying this bothered Wenny, but he couldn't help it.

Snape just shook his head. "And after I get you both out of here, maybe someone can teach you to be a little less foolish," he sneered.

Wenny furrowed her brow and looked over at Carl, elbowing him just hard enough to let him know she didn't like him saying that. She then looked back at the Professor, not sure what to say. As tired as she was of hearing him call them foolish, he had a point this time. Who in their right mind purposely goes to a Death Eater camp, knowing that they would be outnumbered by people who have attempted to kill them several times before?

"So how do you plan on getting us out of here?," she asked Snape, trying to get all of their minds back on what was really important at the moment.

Carl winced only slightly at the surprise of Wenny elbowing him. He clenched his teeth and looked away from both of them. He knew he had been foolish and stupid, and he had already felt bad enough about it. And unfortunately, beating Snape hadn't made him feel any better.

Snape looked between them for a moment before slowly reaching inside his cloak and pulling out both Carl's and Wenny's wands. He handed Wenny hers. "I will go downstairs, going the way that Dray had shown both of you, making sure it is clear. If it's not, I'll come back. If I'm not back in five minutes, go." He looked at Carl for a moment. "Maybe you better take this, Wenny, and give it to him after I leave," he said, handing Wenny Carl's wand too, not doubting that Carl would hex him the moment he got his wand back.

Wenny looked over at Carl with a slightly apologetic expression. She did understand why he was so upset, she just didn't think making their only hope of escape angry was the way to go about dealing with the situation.

She nodded as she took both wands from Snape and had to hide a grin at the man giving her Carl's wand, "yes, Sir." Professor Snape may be snarky, but he definitely was not dumb.

She had been about to go over to look at the tiny map once more to refresh her memory when another thought came to her, "Professor, where do we go once we get out of here?" _'If we make it out of here,'_ she thought. They had gone to Grimmauld Place the past few times, but...they couldn't go there anymore, could they?

Carl glared at Snape and glanced at his wand in Wenny's hand, tempted to grab it from her, but stopped himself from doing so. He looked from Wenny and then to Snape curiously.

"Grimmauld Place," Snape replied quietly. "It's fixed up, and there's a new charm on it. Someone will be there to open the door," he told them. "I can't risk telling you the charm in this place."

"Wait? Grimmauld Place? How do we know this isn't a trap?" Carl asked angrily. It did seem a bit suspicious to him. Snape telling them that Dumbledore wasn't really dead when they had seen him murder him and now him telling them to go back to the place that the Death Eaters had practically turned over.

Wenny looked from Carl to Snape, curious herself of why they would go back there. They had seen the damage themselves the last time they had escaped. Everything was in shambles, yet Professor Snape was saying that the Order was still meeting there?

"Carl, what other choice do we have? We can't stay here," Wenny said. Even if they got to Grimmauld Place and found it was some kind of a trap, they would still be better off than here in this room where they had practically zero chance of survival.

After a moment, Carl nodded his head. "Fine," he said quietly as he walked over to where the map was and sat down, looking down at it to keep himself from looking at Snape. He knew that Wenny was right. They didn't really have much of a choice.

"She's right," Snape said. "You guys really can't stay here. You shouldn't have come here in the first place," he said, sending Carl a glare before turning around and heading to the door.


	55. Narrow Escape

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Five: Narrow Escape**

Wenny watched the Professor leave, then turned and walked over to sit down beside Carl. "I'm sorry," she said, watching him. She knew he most likely wasn't very happy with her for being so nice to Snape after what they had seen him do to Dumbledore. But Dumbledore had trusted Snape with his life. Could he really have been that wrong about Snape? Wenny couldn't help but feel that if they so easily disregarded the trust that Dumbledore put in Snape, it was almost as if they were dishonoring the Headmaster somehow. He had trusted Snape for a reason, so they had to trust Dumbledore's judgement.

She didn't know what else to say to Carl, or if he would talk to her at the moment, so she looked down at the map. After a few moments, she remembered that she still had his wand. "Oh, here, you might need this," she said, holding it out to him.

Carl slowly took his wand back and looked at Wenny and shook his head a little. "Don't apologize, Wenny. It should be me apologizing to you." He sighed and closed his eyes, "For everything. And I guess if we really do get out of here and Dumbledore's alive, I owe Snape an apology, too." He put his forehead in his hands for a few moments.

After awhile, he looked back up at her with a kind of curious expression on his face. "Hey, Wenny, I'm just curious," he started, knowing this would probably sound like it should be at the bottom of the list of their worries. "Who hit me? Was it Lucius or your dad?" he asked.

For some reason, it was just something that he needed to know. Maybe it was so his anger would give him a little more strength if he happened to run into them. His anger may have been a dangerous thing, but sometimes it was a good thing.

Wenny watched Carl, not knowing what to say. She couldn't very well tell him that he wouldn't owe Snape an apology, because in all honesty, he would after attacking the man like that.

She heard his question and sighed, wondering why he needed to know. What purpose would it serve, knowing who had hit him? Or maybe she was just trying to protect someone, though she had no idea why.

"Well,...I'm not completely sure, but...I think it was...well, I think it was my father," she said slowly, watching him. "I'm so sorry, Carl," she added. Even though she hadn't hit Carl herself, and she hoped she never would, she couldn't help but feel guilty by association. He was her father, after all.

Carl nodded and watched her for a moment. "I knew he never liked me," he said, unable to hide a grin and hoping the comment would lighten the mood at least a little. He then sighed and looked back down at the map, hoping that they would be able to get out of there. He didn't know if he had ever felt this bad before. He had gotten them both into this mess, and now they had to rely on the guy that they had both just witnessed kill Professor Dumbledore to get them out of there.

The more Carl tried to think of the reasons why they should and shouldn't trust Snape, the more confused he became. Snape had had them both alone before and had plenty of oppurtunity to finish them, but didn't. Out on the grounds, in his office, outside in Grimmauld Place, even in the Room of Requirement. But the image of Dumbledore being blasted into the air kept replaying in Carl's mind.

Wenny laughed in spite of their situation, when she heard his comment. "And to think, I told you he was harmless. I suppose this means you were right for once," she said with a slight grin.

She noticed him look back down at the map, and so she did as well. She was sure she still remembered the way, as it hadn't been that long ago that they had run through this building, looking for an escape, but she could always study the map just to be sure.

After a few moments, she looked over at him, "how long has he been gone? He said that we should go if he wasn't back in five minutes."

Carl rolled his eyes and smiled a little at her comment. Then he looked up at her and nodded. "It seems like it's been that long, doesn't it?" he said as he stood up and then helped Wenny up off the floor. He looked around the room and then at the door before walking over to it. He put his ear to it to make sure that he couldn't hear anyone coming up the stairs. When he determined that it was clear, he pointed his wand at the doorknob and muttered the curse to unlock the door. He looked back at Wenny and then slowly opened the door.

Wenny closed her eyes for a moment as Carl opened the door. She was half expecting for Rabastan, Lucius, or her father to walk in and catch them trying to escape and then kill them on the spot. But it seemed no one was outside of the door, as Wenny peeked out, her wand gripped tightly in her hand.

She looked both ways down the corridor before quietly stepping out of the room, pausing to wait for Carl. She was almost afraid to even whisper to him, for fear that someone would be close enough by to hear it.

Still holding her wand tightly in her right hand, she nodded to Carl and then began walking down the corridor in the direction they had studied on the map. She glanced around as they walked, just to be sure there was no one around. So far, so good.

They walked along, Carl gripping his wand very firmly in his hand as if his life depended on it, and it kind of did. He felt that if anyone cast the disarming spell at him, he would go flying with his wand instead of his wand flying out of his hands.

He listened very carefully and as they walked down the corridor, Carl thought he could hear something. But it was distant, and sounded as if it were the Death Eaters talking on the floor below them. He felt like he was holding his breath, and when he exhaled, he realized that he had been.

They walked more down the corridor and came to the back stairs. They started down them, Carl stepping lightly as to not make too much noise. He felt like the Death Eaters would even be able to hear their breathing in the hall.

Wenny was trying to take slow, deep breaths as quietly as possible as they practically tiptoed down the stairs. If she hadn't been needing to watch out for Death Eaters, she would've closed her eyes in the hopes that they would just somehow reappear outside of the building. Unfortunately, she knew that wouldn't happen.

They made it down the stairs without drawing any attention to themselves, so now they only had a couple of more corridors left before they would be free of this place. Wenny continued glancing around as they walked, her wand still gripped tightly in her hand. They were so close to being out of here, if they got caught now, it would just be heartbreaking.

They finally reached the final corridor and could see the exit at the end. All they had to do was make it to that door and they would be free, assuming she would be able to apparate them to Grimmauld Place. Though, as long as they weren't being chased by Death Eaters or were being threatened, she shouldn't have a problem.

Wenny started down the corridor and soon after heard someone talking. She saw an open room and peeked in, seeing a few men sitting around a table. She quickly looked back at Carl, a bit panicked. How were they supposed to get past that room without any of the men inside seeing them?

As they walked along the corridors and down the stairs, Carl thought that the sound of his heart beating faster and faster would alert the Death Eaters. To him, it sounded like drums in his ears, but he concentrated the best he could on getting them both out of here.

As they reached the room, Carl looked inside and then quickly back at Wenny. He started walking back the way they had come and motioned for Wenny to follow him. Once they were in the corridor that they had been in, and hopefully the Death Eaters couldn't hear them, he turned to Wenny.

"We'll just try to walk past them," he said, below a whisper. "And if they see us, I'll distract them and you can run for it," he said, hoping Wenny was good at reading lips, because that's practically all he was doing. He couldn't think of a better plan, and if either of them deserved to get out of here, it was Wenny.

Wenny walked back down the corridor with Carl and listened to his plan, then immediately shook her head. "Carl, I'm not going to leave you behind, you know that," she said just as quietly. She refused to simply run and leave him in such a situation. The Death Eaters wouldn't hesitate to kill him and she wouldn't stand for that.

She glanced around, making sure they were still alone. "You wouldn't happen to know how to perform a disillusionment charm, would you?," she asked with a sad grin. Unfortunately, that was a charm that was a bit above their level. Unless, by some chance, Rabastan had taught it to Carl.

Carl sighed heavily, having already thought of that. "No," he said quietly as he looked down at the ground for a moment before back up at her. "Wenny, remember that promise we made? That if there was no hope for one of us, then the other would still try to make it out?"

Of course, he knew how he felt about this. He wouldn't keep this promise, but he hoped that Wenny would. "And besides, there's a chance I might not even need to distract them. And even if that happens, I still have a wand," he told her.

Wenny sighed, remembering their promise. "But I didn't mean it like that, Carl," she said quietly. She had meant if one of them had been killed, that the other would have to continue to do their best to escape and not focus on the loss, but she hadn't wanted to be that specific at the time and now she regretted it. But regardless, she still couldn't and wouldn't simply leave him behind. No matter what happened.

She knew they couldn't stand in the corridor much longer, as each passing moment increased the risk of them being discovered. "Let's not worry about that, ok? Let's just focus on getting past them," she said, not wanting to think any longer about the possibilities of what could go wrong.

Carl nodded his head and then shook a little bit of his hair out of his face before starting to walk back down the corridor and back towards the room with the Death Eaters inside. He hoped that neither of them would have to worry about leaving the other behind or getting caught by the Death Eaters.

As they neared the room, Carl could feel his fast heart beat and the drumming in his ears returning. He turned to Wenny and nodded before starting to quietly and slowly walk past the door, holding his breath and watching the Death Eaters closely, watching their eyes for any sign of them having seen them.

Wenny reached over for Carl's hand as they walked back towards the room. She closed her eyes and repeated a few reassuring sentences in her mind. They could do this, the Death Eaters wouldn't see them, they were going to be fine. She opened her eyes again, her heartbeat speeding up the closer they got to the open door. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she thought she could very well have a heart attack and not have to worry about them being murdered by the Death Eaters.

When they reached where the door was, she paused for a moment. This was it. She squeezed Carl's hand slightly and closed her eyes as they began crossing the open corridor. She had heard somewhere that people were less likely to notice you if you weren't looking at them, so she turned her head slightly away from the open door as they crossed.

Carl kept his gaze forward, but glanced into the room a few times. Once when he did this, he saw one of them looking at him and he took a double take. It was Snape. Carl froze where he was, not sure what Snape was going to do. It seemed most of the others were either looking somewhere else or had their backs to them.

Snape motioned with his eyes for them to hurry after awhile of him and Carl staring at each other. He then quickly looked around to make sure no one else had seen them and then pointed to something on the table. "Now, look here," he started, hoping to keep the other men's attentions off of the two teens in the hallway.

Carl just watched, feeling as if his feet had been glued to the floor and was frozen and couldn't move. He realized that if Snape hadn't been in the room, someone else probably would have seen them. He just stood there for a few moments, still staring at Snape, his heart beating faster and harder than it had been.

Wenny hadn't seen Professor Snape, since she had kept her head turned slightly away from the door as they passed. But as she continued walking, she noticed that Carl had stopped and she glanced back at him. She almost said, "come on," but caught herself, and instead pulled Carl's arm a bit to try to get him to continue walking. The more time they spent in this building, the more likely they were to be caught and she didn't want to think of what would happen if they were. But she couldn't help but wonder why he had stopped so suddenly. Though, that was something she would have to ask him once they had arrived safely at Grimmauld Place.

Carl almost jumped, but stopped himself, when he felt Wenny pull his arm. Any quick movements, and they'd both be dead. He looked over at Wenny and then glanced back into the room before starting to walk again.

As they walked, Carl could hear Snape continue to talk, but it was like he was talking in a foreign language. Not that Carl really cared what it was Snape was saying, but he couldn't concentrate on it anyway.

Wenny thought Carl was acting extremely peculiar, as she continued to practically pull him towards the exit. She couldn't understand why he seemed to want to stand in the corridor, knowing they could be caught any moment.

They finally reached the door and she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then slowly opened the door, praying it wouldn't squeak or make any kind of noise that might possibly be loud enough for the Death Eaters in the nearby room to hear. They were almost free, they just had to get outside and they could apparate themselves out of this mess.

Carl watched as Wenny opened the door and let out a sigh of relief when it didn't squeak, but then he heard someone coming from the next corridor. He looked around, bringing his wand up.

Dray looked shocked as he looked from Wenny and Carl. "Wenny, what did I teach you about sneaking out of the house?" he said with a grin as he, too, brought up his wand.

"Stupefy!" Carl said before Dray could do anything. "Run Wenny," he whispered, hoping that the commotion hadn't called all of the other Death Eaters just yet.

When Wenny heard someone speak, she turned around and her heart sank as she saw her father standing there, wand raised. She heard Carl tell her to run, she hoped he planned to run as well, as she couldn't leave him there. She grabbed his hand and began practically pulling him through the door with her. If they could just get a couple of feet further, she could apparate them to Grimmauld.

She didn't even wait to get further away from the building than a couple of feet before closing her eyes and concentrating on Grimmauld. Within a few seconds, they arrived at the familiar street. Wenny exhaled and looked at Carl, "that was way too close."

Carl looked around and let out a sigh of relief and then nodded. "Yeah, it was," he said quietly. "Now, lets just hope Snape was telling the truth," he said, looking towards the houses marked number eleven and thirteen. Then again, if he wasn't, then Carl wouldn't owe the man an apology. He sighed, knowing that he was wrong to think that.

They walked down the street a little ways until they came to where Number Twelve should be. After a few moments, the door appeared and they heard some noise and bustle before it was opened by Mrs. Weasley. "Come in, come in," she said hurriedly.

Carl had a feeling as they were going inside the house that the Order members weren't going to be so sympathetic to them this time, or at least not to him, since he was the one who had put both him and Wenny in that situation this time.

Wenny was relieved to see Mrs. Weasley open the door and she gave the lady a small smile. She couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, though, that they were back here yet again. She was sure the Order members all thought they were just as 'foolish' as Professor Snape always said they were. Constantly getting themselves captured by the Death Eaters.

She walked into the grim house and looked around, pleased to see that it had, in fact, been repaired as Professor Snape had told them. But if he were telling the truth about Grimmauld Place, did that mean he was also being truthful about Dumbledore being alive? How was that possible, though? They had seen Professor Snape cast the Unforgivable and they had seen Dumbledore fall over the side of the Tower. There was no way he could survive both things. If the curse somehow hadn't killed him, the fall would have.

"Mrs. Weasley, is Dumbledore...," Wenny started, but was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley. "Shhhh!," the lady said quickly as she ushered them the rest of the way inside the building, closing the door behind them.


	56. Dangerous

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Six: Dangerous**

Carl was starting to feel more foolish and stupid with each passing moment. If Dumbledore was really still alive, Carl would be glad that he was wrong, but he would also feel ashamed for everything that he had done. He looked from Wenny to Mrs. Weasley who was now ushering them to the kitchen.

Once they reached the kitchen, Carl saw Dumbledore sitting at the table. He looked just as old and worn out as he had up on the tower, but he was alive. Carl didn't know what to say. He didn't even want to say anything. He wanted to go up to his room and sulk. He looked up from the spot that he was looking at on the ground to Dumbledore and made eye contact. It was worse than Dumbledore just simply telling him how stupid he had been.

When Wenny saw Dumbledore sitting at the table, she gasped slightly, "Professor? But...how?" She glanced over to Carl, but saw him looking at the ground, so she turned back to Mrs. Weasley and Professor Dumbledore. This was definitely weird. How could he have possibly survived both a Killing Curse and a fall from the Astronomy Tower? It didn't make sense.

"Some things are better left unexplained at the moment, dear. We wouldn't want to endanger you," Mrs. Weasley said. But at this, Wenny just gave the lady a look of disbelief. Wouldn't want to endanger them? They had just nearly been killed by a gang of Death Eaters and had barely gotten away. They were beyond the point of being _endangered._ But given that it had been their fault that they were nearly killed by Death Eaters, Wenny didn't feel it was her place to argue, so she simply nodded.

Carl continued to look down at the ground for the next few moments, just wishing that he was alone. And when he heard Mrs. Weasley tell them that it was late and they needed some rest, he looked up at her and nodded. He looked over at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry, Professor," he said, knowing that Dumbledore would know what he was apologizing for. "And I'm glad you're alright," he said quietly before turning to the stairs and heading up them towards the room that he had stayed at the last few times they were there.

Wenny watched as Carl went upstairs, then turned back to Mrs. Weasley and Dumbledore. "Well, I guess I'll see you both in the morning?," she said questioningly, though she figured she most likely would. Where else could Dumbledore go, since he was assumed dead by the rest of the wizarding world?

She gave them both a small smile before turning and going upstairs. She wondered what Carl was thinking, since discovering that Professor Snape had been truthful with them. Especially after what he had done to the man. She figured he was probably beating himself up over it, which she didn't feel was fair, since they _had_ witnessed Snape 'murdering' Dumbledore. How were they supposed to know that it was some kind of set up?

Reaching the corridor where their rooms were, Wenny almost went into her room, as to let Carl do some thinking, but as usual, she didn't want to be without him. She stepped over to his door and knocked quietly.

Carl was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. A big part of him just wanted to be alone. First, he had risked Wenny's life by telling her to apparate them to the Death Eater headquarters. What would have happened if something happened to her because of his stupidity? And then he had beat Snape up when he was innocent. What would have happened if Carl had actually tried to _murder_ him? He hadn't even really tried at the time. But what if his anger had pushed him to do that? Then an innocent man, not to mention his blood father, would be dead, and most likely, so would he and Wenny. Why couldn't he just learn to control his anger?

He sighed heavily before standing up and slowly walking over to the door and opening it slowly. He knew that he hadn't heard the end of this from anyone. "Wenny, be honest with me," he said as soon as he saw her. "If my anger pushes me to murder somebody one day, will you ever be able to look at me the same way?" he asked her. This thought scared him.

Hearing Carl's odd question, Wenny looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what had made him ask such a thing. What was she supposed to say to that? She wasn't sure if it would make her see him differently. She loved him, yes, and always would, but what if he _did_ murder someone? It was something she didn't want to think about, but she knew he had been very close to it with Professor Snape.

Trying to stall to give herself a few moments to think, and because she didn't want someone to find them in the hallway and make them go to their separate rooms, Wenny walked past him into his room, then turned and closed the door. "I'm not going to let you become a murderer, Carl," she said quietly.

Carl sighed and then walked back over to his bed and returned his head to his hands. He winced slightly into his hands as he felt that his side and his stomach were still slightly sore. After a moment, he looked back up at her. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly. He wasn't sure how many times he would have to say this, but he'd say it as many times as he needed to.

Wenny wasn't sure what she could say or do that would help. "It's fine, Carl. It's over. We survived," she said, hoping that would be enough, yet she knew it most likely wouldn't be. She didn't want to simply tell him 'get over it,' when he clearly wasn't ready to, so she leaned back against the door and watched him. She hoped he knew that she didn't blame him. Yes, he was the one who had asked to go to the Death Eater Headquarters, but she was the one who actually _took_ them there. As far as she was concerned, they were both at fault.

Carl sighed and then laid down on the bed. He knew that that wasn't enough, and he was quite curious as to what would happen once Snape got ahold of him outside the Death Eater headquarters. Although, he wasn't quite looking forward to it, as he knew that 'sorry' definitely wouldn't work for Snape. He looked over at Wenny and then scooted over on the bed a little so she could lay down next to him, if she wanted to. He wouldn't have blamed her if she didn't.

Wenny saw Carl scoot over, and she wanted to go over to him, but she wasn't sure she should. He seemed to still be blaming himself for their last capture and she thought he might just need to be by himself for a while. But at the same time, she knew that the reason they had been able to survive everything they had been through so far, was the fact that they had each other.

After a few moments of continuing to simply watch him, Wenny slowly walked over and laid down beside him. "I don't blame you, you know," she said quietly, lying on her side, facing him.

"I know," Carl replied, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling. But he knew that it really had been his fault. His anger had controlled him yet again, and even if Wenny didn't blame him, he knew practically everyone else would. But he also felt selfish. Dumbledore was sitting downstairs alive, and Carl couldn't even think about that and how everyone was thinking that the man was dead right now.

Wenny just continued to watch Carl for a few minutes, trying to think of a way to get him to stop blaming himself. But then she had another thought, "Carl, why did you freeze up suddenly in the corridor of...that place...when we were almost out of there?" They had been almost completely past the door when he had stopped in his tracks and she had had to practically pull him the rest of the way.

Carl sighed as he remembered the look that Snape had given him. Had it really been of concern or had he just been imagining it? The second sounded more probable and believable to him. He glanced over at Wenny for a moment before answering. "Snape saw us," he said quietly, looking back up to the ceiling.

"Oh," Wenny replied simply. Of course, they now knew that Snape had been truthful and was on their side, but at the time, they hadn't been sure. If he, by some chance, had been lying to them, he could've easily have told all of the Death Eaters in the room to attack them...which was an extremely frightening thought.

"Well, I guess we should get some rest. It's been a lonnng day," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. She didn't want to do any more than that, as she figured he was still trying to work things out in his mind. Like the fact that Professor Snape, Carl's birth father, was really as 'good' as Dumbledore had always said. And that Dumbledore was alive, even though they had witnessed his 'death.' It was a lot to comprehend in such a short time.

Carl nodded. "Yeah, it has," he said quietly. Thinking exactly how long of a day it had been just made him even more tired, which made him realize how tired he had been to begin with. He yawned and then put his arm around Wenny and closed his eyes. He didn't want her to leave, because he knew he would just get less sleep than he would if she was there, and that wasn't much anyway. But he was somewhat worried that Snape would come and want to "talk" to him about what he had done, but he just hoped he was paranoid.

Wenny wasn't sure either of them would actually be able to sleep after everything they had seen and been through that day, but she knew they had to try. They needed their rest, since they had no idea what the following day might have in store for them. She closed her eyes and yawned as she rolled over to face away from Carl, and then reached back to pull his arms around her waist.

As she lay there with her eyes closed, she kept seeing scenes of the day's events in her mind; what they had seen in the corridors of the castle, what they had seen up on the Astronomy Tower, and what had happened in the Death Eater Headquarters. She must've been more tired than she had thought, because even with those horrible scenes playing in her mind, she found herself falling asleep.

Carl snuggled up behind Wenny and tried to get his head comfortable on the pillows, but found it slightly difficult. He found himself thinking that everyone was wrong. Snape couldn't possibly be his father. Was there any way that he could possibly go the rest of his life denying it? After all, it seemed as if Snape was never going to be the father that he needed.

He remembered his anger that he had had on the tower and then when he had seen Snape at the Death Eater headquarters. That had to be the worse that it had ever been. He was sure that if he had had his wand, nothing would have stopped him from Crucio'ing him at the very least, if not killing him. After what felt like hours, he finally felt himself drifting off to sleep.

After a several hours of fitful sleep, filled with dark dreams of what could've happened had Snape not helped them escape, Wenny awoke with a start. She quickly reached back to make sure Carl was still with her and was relieved when she discovered he was. She didn't want to wake him, though, so she tried closing her eyes and going back to sleep, as it was still pretty early. But it seemed like everytime she closed her eyes, she saw her father with his wand raised in her direction. She couldn't help but wonder what she had done that was so awful that her own father would kill her himself.

Unlike Carl's situation with Rabastan Lestrange, Wenny's father was her real, biological father. How could he be so cold? As much as she tried telling herself that it didn't matter to her, she knew it did. And though part of her knew the problem lay with Dray's messed up beliefs and not with _her,_ there was still a part of her that kept nagging that she hadn't been a good enough daughter, that she had somehow failed him and that was why he didn't care for her like other fathers cared for their daughters.

With that thought in mind, she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, so she quietly got out of bed and walked over to the door. She looked back at Carl for a moment and smiled slightly before slowly opening the door and going across the hall to her own room.

Carl turned over in the bed, fast asleep. He was having a dream, but it was more like a flashback to begin with. It was when he was three or four and his dad, or who he had thought was his dad at the time, had just bought him a toy broomstick. Carl watched the scene as if he was an outsider. The look on little Carl's face made Carl smile as he was dreaming. As he watched, Rabastan slowly turned into Snape.

Carl forced himself to wake up and he sat up in the bed quickly, putting his head in his hands. After a moment, he looked over on the bed next to him and saw that Wenny wasn't there. He put his feet on the ground and put his head back in his hands and sighed heavily before standing up and walking to the door. He opened it and then went across the hall and knocked very quietly on Wenny's door incase she was asleep.

Wenny was standing by one of the heavily curtained windows in her room. She had pushed the curtains over so that she could see out of the window, but even though she was staring outside, she wasn't really seeing. Her mind was too full of thoughts she would rather have not been having.

A quiet knock at the door brought her back out of her reverie. She walked over to the door, knowing that it would probably be Carl. She didn't want to worry him, so she put on a slight smile as she opened the door, "good morning."

"Good morning to you too," he said quietly. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok," he said, watching her closely. Maybe she had left the room because she needed to be alone, he thought. He watched her for a few more moments, remembering his dream and then wondering how Wenny was taking her father situation. He would have figured that she would be a bit more bothered by it than she seemed, but she hadn't said anything, so he had just always figured she was taking it rather well. "Well, I guess I'll see you at breakfast," he said quietly as he turned back around to his own room.

Wenny knew Carl had enough on his mind as it was, she didn't want to worry him with her problems as well. So she simply gave him a small smile and nodded, "ok. See you at breakfast." She watched him turn around to go back to his room, "and thank you for checking on me." She had almost asked him to come back, but she decided against it.

"No problem," he said with a small smile and nod before going back into his room and closing the door behind him. He sighed as he went back over to the bed and laid down on his stomach. He heard someone coming up the stairs and he faced the wall and closed his eyes. If it was someone who was coming to talk to him, he hoped they would just assume he was asleep and leave him alone.

Wenny watched Carl go back to his room, then quietly closed the door to her own room. She sighed as she leaned back against it and closed her eyes. She was still a bit tired, but she knew she wouldn't get any more sleep, even if she tried, so it wasn't worth even trying.

She walked back over to the window and straightened the curtains back like they had been before she moved them, then sat down on the side of her bed. Maybe she would talk to someone later. If not Carl, then maybe Mrs. Weasley or even Professor Dumbledore. He would be able to help her, he always had been back during her first year at Hogwarts.

She sighed and laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Carl kept his eyes closed as the footsteps grew louder as they approached the hall between his and Wenny's rooms. He winced slightly as the door to his room opened and then tried to relax to make it look more like he was asleep. He tried to snore, but it came out horribly and he was sure that whoever was at the door would instantly know that he was not asleep. Carl sighed hopelessly at his lame attempt.

Professor Snape walked in the room, "Carl, we need to talk." He didn't even ask to make sure the boy was awake to hear the order. He walked over and sat down in a nearby chair and waited for Carl to sit up.

Wenny hadn't thought she would be able to sleep, but lying on her bed with no one to talk to or hold, she eventually felt her eyelids growing heavy. Since she no longer wanted to think about the thoughts that were currently flooding her mind, she let her eyes close and felt herself falling into a light slumber. She just hoped she wouldn't continue to see what she had seen during the night: images of her father threatening to kill her.

Carl stayed there for a few moments, not wanting to look at Snape. After awhile, he finally sat up and turned around, but looked down at the ground. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I'm going to get a lecture anyway, just," he paused and looked up at Snape. "Just don't make it a fatherly one," he said with a glare.

"Carl," Snape said strictly. "Thank you for the apology, but that's not the greatest way to start off," he said, staring at Carl through penetrating eyes that made Carl uneasy.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you how wrong you were in your assumptions of what you witnessed on the Astronomy Tower last night, as I was told by Mrs. Weasley that you and Miss Gytha saw the Headmaster last night," Snape said, in the way that only he can, making one feel like a complete moron without Snape having used so many words.

"I'm also sure you realize how much danger you put not only yourself in, but your little girlfriend as well, by your need to _play the hero._ An annoying characteristic also shared by _Potter,"_ Snape said, the last word sounding somewhat like a sneer, as if the name alone sickened him. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze on Carl intensifying, "but that's not why I'm here."

Carl continued to glare at Snape. He already knew all of the things that Snape was telling him, but he had expected it. "Well, then if informing me of how foolish I was, which I already knew by the way, wasn't the reason you're here, then why _are_ you here?" he asked impatiently. He had known that he wouldn't be able to back out of talking to Snape, but he just wished it would hurry up and be over so he could be alone and sulk again.

Snape glared at Carl with a look of loathing. It wasn't loathing of the boy himself, but rather the boy's audacity to talk to him in such a manner. "The Order wants to know if you would be up to helping them with a special project. Like most things that the Order does, there is a certain amount of risk involved," Snape said.

"Of course, since you are so young," Snape began again, wanting to throw in 'and foolish,' but deciding against it, "the Order has to get parental permission first." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Getting 'parental permission' for Carl to participate in the Order simply meant Snape himself had to agree to it, which made him more aware that he was a _parent,_ something he had never particularly wanted to be. "But given the situation, I thought I would simply ask _you_ whether or not you wanted to join."

Carl watched Snape and glared at him for a moment as he listened to him and then saw him shift in his seat. He sighed and looked down at at the ground for awhile before looking back up at him. "Well, it depends. Is the Order going to allow me to join without parental permission? Because I don't think I have any parents," he said with a bit more sarcasm than was probably wise.

Any smile that may have been on Snape's face would've disappeared with Carl's comment, though Snape had not been smiling. He never smiled. _"I_ have already agreed that your help could be beneficial to the Order, Carl. It is up to _you_ whether or not you want to join," Snape said slowly, not taking his gaze off of Carl. Believe it or not, he was trying to be polite to the boy. Even though, he didn't feel the boy deserved it.

Carl was tempted to continue and ask _'you?'_ and act surprised, but decided against it. He sighed and then nodded. "Yes, I would like to join," he said quietly as he kept his gaze on Snape. He wanted to look back down at the ground, but knew he would just feel weak. "What's the project?" he asked him curiously, watching him closely.

Snape watched Carl for a moment, then sat back in his chair, though his gaze never left the young man. "Since Dumbledore is supposedly..._deceased_...we need someone to help _Potter_ discover and destroy several items that belong to the Dark Lord." He sighed, "If you agree to do this, you will be away from here for a while and I won't lie, it will be rather dangerous. The Dark Lord knows Harry's quest and he will do everything in his power to prevent him from being successful." He was putting it lightly, as not to frighten the boy, but there was a very good chance that Carl would not survive the 'project.'

_"I_ am unable to help _Potter_ as he believes I have murdered Dumbledore, not to mention that I supposedly work for the other side. I doubt the Dark Lord would continue to be fooled, should I begin destroying his life's work," Snape began, "and I know that your...that Rabastan has told you were at least a couple of the items are, so you already know more than most of the other Order members."

Carl continued to keep his gaze on Snape as he listened to him talk and then slowly nodded his head. "Yes, Sir," he said quietly. He noticed the way that he kept saying Potter's name, but decided not to think too much on it. He knew that Snape had always had a thing about Harry Potter.

He had a few questions, but was pretty sure that Snape wouldn't answer them, so he decided not to ask them. But he had a few that hopefully Snape would answer. "Sir, when do I start? And how exactly long am I going to be gone and," he paused. "Exactly how dangerous?" he asked, not quite sure he wanted to know the answer to the last question.

"Well, I believe the answer to the first question, is fairly soon. Within the next couple of days, I imagine," Snape answered. "I'm sure there will be a funeral service for Dumbledore and Potter will start on his quest soon after." He paused a moment, trying to think of how to answer the second question, "The sooner the items are found and destroyed, the sooner you return. So that really depends on...a lot of things."

Snape wasn't quite sure how to answer the last question or if the boy would want to know the answer. Destroying Voldemort's horcruxes were the key to destroying Voldemort himself, and obviously, Voldemort was going to use extreme measures to prevent that from happening. Snape sighed, _"Dangerous."_ He hoped Carl would understand what he meant without him having to say it.

Carl nodded his head and then finally looked down at the ground, not able to stand looking at Snape anymore, hoping that that was the conclusion of their little meeting. He began to hope that there was some way he wouldn't have to tell Wenny, because all she would do was worry. But he knew that that wasn't possible. If he would be gone a long time, there was no way he would be able to hide that from her.

After a moment, he looked back up at Snape. "I understand, Sir," he said quietly, hoping that that would give him the hint that he wanted to be alone now. "And again, I'm sorry," he said, watching him closely, for any sign that maybe he hadn't lost his mind back at the Death Eater headquarters and mistaken the man's expression for concern.

Snape had never been good with showing emotion, so he merely cleared his throat and nodded, then promptly stood and walked over to the door. But before he opened it, he turned back to Carl. He knew how close Carl was with the young girl staying across the hall, "I would tell her soon, Carl." And with that, he left the room and headed back downstairs.

Snape knew that Carl would be leaving within the next day or two and given the extremely high risk of him not returning, it would be best to give the girl time to accept it and say goodbye.

Carl felt his heart sink, or maybe it was just the two-ton weight that had just landed on his shoulders. He put his head in his hands and then brought them up and ran them through his hair as he laid back on the bed, listening to Snape's footsteps going back down the steps. He turned over on his stomach, burying his head in the pillows, and then screamed into them. Unfortunately, it didn't help much with releasing his anger or confusion.


	57. Leaving

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Leaving**

Wenny woke up a bit more rested than she had been earlier that morning. The dark dreams that had tormented her during the night hadn't inhabited her mind during the short nap, allowing her to sleep somewhat peacefully. She yawned and stretched and then stood up, running a hand through her hair to comb it out somewhat. She hoped Mrs. Weasley had fixed something good for breakfast as she was a bit starved, having not eaten much the previous day.

As she walked out of her room, she glanced over at Carl's door. She was tempted to knock on the door and tell him that she was going downstairs for breakfast, but she figured he was probably already down there, as he had told her he would see her at breakfast. But when she walked into the kitchen, she didn't see him. She went ahead and sat down at the table, sure that he would come down the stairs any minute.

Carl screamed into the pillow again and then sat up and threw the pillow across the room. He stood up and walked over to the opposite wall and kicked it, then walked over the next wall and kicked it too. He didn't regret agreeing to help the Order, he was just worried about telling Wenny and still feeling a bit awkward towards Snape.

He leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths. After a moment, he finally stood up again and fixed his hair a little before walking to the door and opening it. He closed the door behind him and then decided not to knock on Wenny's door. He knew that Wenny would be able to tell something was wrong, and he wasn't quite ready to tell her what he had agreed to.

Carl walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen, then sighed as he saw Wenny sitting at the table. He walked over to her and sat down and gave her a small smile, trying his best to act like nothing new was bothering him. Unfortunately, he knew that Wenny would most likely be able to see right through him.

Wenny saw Carl come down the stairs and could immediately tell something was bothering him. She wondered if maybe he had talked to Professor Snape. If he had, that would surely put him in a bad mood. One can only be called 'foolish' so many times before it begins to bother them.

She saw his smile as he sat beside her and she gave him a small smile in return, though it was somewhat mixed with a curious expression. She started to ask him what was wrong, but about that time, Mrs. Weasley walked into the room, "oh, you're both here. Good, good." The lady immediately began setting out the breakfast she had prepared. "Well, go on, eat up. I imagine you dears haven't eaten much in the past day or so."

Wenny began putting a little bit of food on her plate, while occasionally glancing over at Carl. She had been rather hungry when she came downstairs, but now, she couldn't wait for breakfast to be over so she could go back upstairs and ask Carl what was bothering him.

Carl looked down at the food infront of him as he started to put some food onto a plate. He sighed as he began eating, but it seemed as if the food just turned to clay inside his mouth and he couldn't swallow it. He swallowed it whole and then took a sip of his drink to wash it down. He thought of how Wenny would react when she found out, and hoped that it wouldn't make him feel too bad about his decision. He wanted to help as much as he could.

He ate a few more bites, until his jaws wouldn't let him chew anymore, and then took one more sip of his drink before slowly began standing up. "Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Weasley," he said quietly. He went over to the sink and washed his plate just to be nice as it was his fault that they were back here yet again. Then he started up the stairs again, wondering if he could pretend to be asleep when Wenny came back up.

Wenny couldn't help but notice that Carl had barely even looked at her the entire time he was downstairs and then had went back upstairs without even speaking to her. Something was definitely bothering him, which bothered her. She suddenly was no longer in the mood for breakfast, "I think I'm going to go ahead and go back upstairs, Mrs. Weasley. I didn't really sleep well last night."

"Oh, yes. Go ahead, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, walking over to take Wenny's plate to the sink. If Wenny hadn't been so worried about Carl, she would've offered to help the lady, but at the moment, she was too preoccupied to think about that. As soon as she reached the corridor where their rooms were, she went straight over to Carl's door and knocked quietly. "Carl?"

Carl sighed heavily, sitting on the bed and looking down at the ground. He knew he couldn't ignore Wenny, and what Snape had said came back to his mind. Maybe he should tell Wenny now. He knew that she would be worried, but they would both probably be able to enjoy their last day or so together better without him hiding it and Wenny knowing something was wrong.

He shook his head and then stood up and walked over to the door slowly and opened it. He gave Wenny another small smile when he saw her. "Hey," he said quietly. "Sorry about downstairs. I...I was just tired," he said, sighing at his more than pathetic lie.

Wenny looked at Carl curiously. She knew he was more than just 'tired.' "Carl, I can tell there's something bothering you," she said, watching him still, "I haven't done anything to upset you, have I?" She was pretty sure she hadn't, but then he had spoken to Mrs. Weasley, just not to her. Maybe he was starting to resent her for having not fought him hard enough on apparating them to the Death Eater Headquarters. Or maybe he was upset that she had gone back to her room that morning. But, for some reason, she didn't think it was either of those things.

"No," he said quickly, "no, of course not." He took her hand and brought her inside his room and then closed the door quietly. He walked over to the bed with her and then sat down. He looked at her for a few moments. "Wenny, there's something I have to tell you," he said quietly after a little while. He knew that he would have to tell her, he just wished there was an easier way.

Wenny watched Carl curiously as he led her over to the bed and then sat down beside her. As soon as she heard his comment, her worry and nervousness increased ten-fold. Whatever was bothering him was _serious._ It was never good news when someone said those words. "Carl, you're scaring me," she said, frowning.

Carl sighed heavily as he looked down at the ground for only a moment before looking back up at her. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly. He put his hand on her neck and kissed her lips softly. He looked her in the eyes after a moment. "I've agreed to help the Order. I leave in a couple of days and I'm going to be gone for a while," he said, not wanting to mention how serious Snape was when he had told him that it was going to be dangerous.

"A while? Like...how long?," she asked, hoping that he would say just a couple of days or maybe up to a week, but she knew he wouldn't be acting like this unless it was going to be a _long_ while. "What are you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to be helping _Potter,"_ he said, mimicking the way Snape had been saying his name, "find Voldemort's horcruxes." He shook his head slightly, "And I don't know for how long." He watched her closely as he talked.

All Wenny knew of the horcruxes were that they were the reason the Death Eaters wanted to...do away with her and Carl. Which made her start wondering. If they wanted to...do away with them just because they knew about the horcruxes, what would they do if they knew Carl was actively _searching_ for the things? "Carl, are you saying there's a chance you might not come back?," she asked slowly, hoping that she was wrong.

Carl sighed heavily and stood up, running his hand through his hair. He faced the wall for a few moments before turning back to look at Wenny. How was he supposed to answer that question? He knew that there was definitely a chance that he wouldn't be coming back, more of a chance than there was of him actually returning. But he hated the idea of Wenny knowing all this. After a little while, he nodded his head slowly. "There's a chance," he said quietly.

Wenny didn't like that answer at all. Was she really being asked to simply let Carl go off on this 'quest,' knowing that he may not come back? What would she do if he was captured by Voldemort and killed? Carl was the only person she had left. "But can't...can't someone else go? I mean, there are plenty of other Order members, Carl. You're...you're still in school. Why are they asking _you_ to do this?," she said, hoping there was some mistake or that he was playing some cruel joke, that he wasn't really going to leave her. But she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't joking.

Carl sighed as he walked back over to her, and then bent down infront of her and held her hands. "Wenny, I love you. I don't know why it has to be me. Maybe it's because what I learned from Rabastan can help Harry, and who knows if they're even going to be opening the school again since everybody thinks Dumbledore is dead." He sighed again and then sat down on the bed next to her, still holding her hands and looking into her eyes.

"Then just _tell_ Harry what you know. There's no reason that you actually have to go _with_ him," she said, the idea of him leaving starting to sink in completely. "Carl, you can't leave me. ...I'll go with you," she said, determined not to be left behind. If he was going to risk his life, then she would do the same.

Carl put his hands on Wenny's shoulders and watched her for a few moments. "Wenny, not only can I help Harry find the horcruxes, I can watch his back." He sighed, knowing that the idea of him watching Harry's back wasn't going to reassure Wenny that he'd come back to her. "Wenny, this is something I have to do to help the Order. If Harry succeeds in destroying the horcruxes, then...then maybe we won't have to worry anymore because of what we know," he said quietly.

"But what am I supposed to do while you're gone? Sit here and worry the entire time? And what if...what if you don't come back?," Wenny asked, wishing he would realize how much it would kill her for him to leave her and never return. Him leaving her was difficult enough, but the thought of something happening to him might be enough to make her do something 'foolish,' to use Snape's word.

"I'll come back, Wenny. I promise you that I'm not going to let something happen. I have to come back to see you again. And besides, I'm sure that they'll give you something to do that'll take your mind off of things," he said, wishing that she wouldn't make this any harder than it already was. A part of him wondered if this was what Snape had wanted, to make him miserable.

"Carl, we both know you can't possibly promise that," Wenny said quietly. She wished he could, but the truth was that Voldemort was out to kill Harry Potter and if Carl was 'watching Harry's back,' Voldemort would most likely kill Carl first. "Is there _anything at all_ that I can say or do to make you tell them you can't go?"

Carl took a deep breath and then slowly shook his head. She could actually say alot of things that could make him say that he couldn't do it, but he didn't want her to try. He felt that this was something that he had to do. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly as he looked down at the ground and then put his head in his hands.

"Carl, _please,"_ Wenny pleaded, trying not to cry, as she knew it would make it more difficult for both of them. Though, she had to mentally laugh at the thought. How could it possibly get more difficult? The only guy she had ever loved, the only person who had ever truly loved her, was telling her that he was leaving her. She was almost tempted to yell at him for agreeing to go without even asking her, but she couldn't do that to him.

Carl stood up and walked over to the wall, and then looked back at her and frowned. "Wenny, please don't look at me like that," he said, shaking his head a little. Although, he really couldn't blame her. He was leaving her. What would the Order ask her to do? They only had each other now, and now he was leaving. "Maybe you could get Mrs. Weasley to teach you to cook some more," he said, knowing that after he said it, it wouldn't help at all.

Wenny watched Carl walk over to the wall, then looked away from him. She wasn't trying to make him feel bad...ok, maybe she was. But, it was only because she _really_ did not want him to leave. If there was _anything_ she could do to make him change his mind, she would have done it.

When she heard his comment, Wenny gave a small grin in spite of the situation. Of course, the grin didn't reach her eyes, which were still on the verge of spilling over with tears, but it was a small grin nonetheless.

Carl gave her a small smile when he saw her grin and then walked back over to her. "I bet you won't even realize that I'm gone. But can we please just focus on right now? Since I'll be leaving in a couple of days," he said quietly. He could tell by her expression that she felt like crying, because he felt the same way, but he hated seeing Wenny like this, and wished that he didn't feel that he was obligated to do this.

"If you believe that, then you obviously don't know how much I love you," she said, giving him another sad grin. It was true, she would definitely miss him from the moment he left. In fact, she missed him already and he hadn't even left yet.

Wenny looked at him for a moment and then nodded slowly, "ok." Though, it was easier said than done. How could she not think about the fact that he would be leaving her soon? She was sure it would be all she would think about until he left, and then all she would think about would be how much longer until he came back. _If_ he came back. She shrugged that thought out of her mind.

Carl sat back down on the bed next to her and put his arm around her and held her for a few moments. After a little while, he kissed her cheek and then kissed her neck a few times. He wasn't sure if it would help, but it was worth a try. He hated to see Wenny like this, but he knew that now that he had agreed to do this, he couldn't and wouldn't back down.

As she felt Carl's kiss, Wenny closed her eyes, wishing that it would, as it had all the other times, make her forget all her worries. But this was much more serious than all of their previous troubles. Carl was _leaving her._ She was trying so hard to forget about it at the moment, but the thought of him never come back to her just would not leave her mind. What if she never felt his kiss or his touch again? How would she go on without him? To be perfectly honest, she wasn't sure she could.

After a few moments, Carl realized that, as he had expected, the kisses weren't helping as much as they used to. He sighed and just held her and rested his head on her shoulder. "I love you, Wenny," he said quietly as he closed his eyes, never wanting to move from that spot. Part of him wanted to blame Snape for this, but he knew that if he hadn't asked, someone else probably would have. But it at least gave him someone to blame, although it was Carl himself who had accepted it in the first place.

"Then don't leave me, Carl," she said quietly, not looking at him. She knew it wasn't a fair thing to say, as he had explained that he had to go, but she didn't care about the Order or Harry Potter at the moment. She cared only about Carl.

"Wenny," he said quietly as he pulled away a little. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean I don't love you," he told her as he opened his eyes and looked at her again and then ran his hand through his hair.

Wenny looked at him for a moment, wanting to say that that was exactly what it felt like. She wanted to be selfish and tell him to not worry about saving the wizarding world, to just worry about saving her and that she needed him to stay here. But she knew it wouldn't work. He had already made up his mind and nothing she could say would make him change it, but would only hurt him instead. "I know," she began with a sigh, "I just _really_ don't want you to leave."

Carl sighed and put his arms around her again. "I know," he said quietly as he put his hand on the back of her head and held her close. Then he got another theory. Maybe another reason that he felt like he had to do this was to somehow make what he had done better, to show everyone that he wasn't completely foolish, and his little escapade to the Death Eater headquarters and risking both Wenny's and his lives was just a sudden and one time act of foolishness.

"I'm going to be so worried while you're gone," Wenny said, finally giving in to the fact that he wasn't going to change his mind. She still didn't like the idea of him going, but she could somewhat understand why he felt he needed to. "You're going to have to owl as often as possible." Though, she knew it most likely wouldn't be possible at all. Carl and Harry would have to keep themselves hidden during their journey, and an owl could possibly give away their location if, by some chance, Voldemort or his followers happened to be scoping the area.

He nodded his head as he continued to hold her. Then he looked back at her with a small smile. "But you know, I still have a couple of days until I leave," he said, hoping that it wouldn't be like this the entire time up until he left. He wanted his last few days with Wenny until he left for who knew how long, if he even came back at all, to be good. Rather than them being so down and depressed.

Wenny knew he was hoping she would be able to act as if he wasn't leaving her, during how ever many days they had left together, but how could she possibly do that? Of course, she would try, though. For him. She would do anything for him.

She nodded, not knowing what to say. All she could think of was to continue asking him not to go. But, she knew it'd do no good and that it would just keep this gloomy feeling between them. So she gave him a smile. It was a small one, as that was all she could muster up at the moment, but it was still a smile.

Carl returned her small smile and then put his hand on her neck and kissed her softly. He didn't want to think about if this would the last few days that he had with her. But if it was, he didn't want to waste them. He held her a little closer, never wanting to let her go.

Wenny put her arms around Carl and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I don't know how you expect me to simply stand by and let you leave," she said quietly. She knew that was definitely going to be the most difficult part. Watching him leave. She might be able to put the situation out of her mind a little while she still had him here with her, and once he was gone, she would simply have to deal with it. But to actually see him leaving was going to break her heart.

He looked down at her and closed his eyes. "Wenny, I love you. I will always love you. And if in the chance that I don't come back, I really don't want you to be like this. If something happens to me, I don't want it to be for nothing. I want it to have a reason, and if I know that if something does happen and you don't try to be happy with the life that you have left, it would have been for nothing," he said.

Wenny pulled back a little and looked at him, "Carl, please don't talk like that." She herself could think about the possibility of him not coming back, but to hear _him_ talk about it made the possibility seem more real somehow. And she had no idea how he expected her to 'try to be happy,' if he didn't come back. She was sure there was no way she could ever be happy again if something happened to him.

Carl sighed and kept his eyes closed. He knew that the greater chance was with him not coming back, and he knew that Wenny already hated the idea. But if it meant her never being happy again, then he would feel that if something were to happen, it would be for nothing. He sighed again, hating to think like that. "I'm sorry, Wenny," he said quietly, opening his eyes again and looking at her.

Wenny wasn't about to say 'oh, it's ok,' because as far as she was concerned, it _wasn't_ ok. The only person she cared about in the entire world was leaving her behind. No, this situation was most definitely not ok. She hated feeling so out of control. He hadn't even asked for her opinion before agreeing to leave her behind. Of course, that thought started to make her a bit angry. "Did you even think of how I might take this news or that I might even want to have some say in this?"

"Of course I did, Wenny!" Carl replied, now sitting back a little as he looked at her. "But I knew that you would just try to talk me out of it!" he said. He took a deep breath and stood up. It's not like he hadn't expected this. He was leaving Wenny, with a chance of him not returning, and he hadn't even talked to her about it first. He walked over to the window and looked out it, but not really paying any attention. His mind was too far off.

"You're right, I would have! So did you honestly think it would make this any easier for me to take, by not at least giving me the opportunity to tell you how I felt about the situation? Or did it not even matter to you what I thought?," Wenny asked, watching him. She was getting more angry by the moment. Not necessarily at _him,_ but at the entire situation. But seeing as he was the only one here, he was the only one she could direct it at. She'd just have to apologize later.

Carl looked down at the ground. He really couldn't blame her for getting upset, as he had expected it. He turned back around and looked at her. "And what about me, Wenny? I'm the one leaving, probably off to my death! I'm the one who has to fix everything that I did! I'm the one who is causing you to be like this," he said the last part quietly. Now he really felt selfish and guilty all at the same time. In the past day, he's put Wenny in danger and now he was telling her that he was leaving and being incredibly selfish about it.

The tears that had threatened to fall earlier, finally started falling when she heard Carl's comment about him going off to his death. _"You don't have to leave!,"_ she said, a bit stronger than she had intended. But it was the truth, at least in her opinion. He didn't _have_ to leave. No one was _forcing_ him to leave her. "Tell them that you have to stay here. That _I_ need you," she added. Maybe she was being selfish, but he was the only person she had. Surely the Order would understand and could find someone else to 'watch Harry's back.'

Carl watched her for a few moments before finally walking back over to her and bending down infront of her. He reached up and wiped away her tears. "Wenny, please don't cry," he said quietly, afraid that it would make him cry as well. "This is something that I have to do." Maybe another part of him wanted to prove to Snape that he wasn't as foolish as he thought.

For the first time in a long while, Wenny actually turned away from Carl. And had he not been directly infront of her, she may have even walked ut of the room. She did understand that he felt this was something he had to do, but she wasn't ready to accept that yet.

Carl stood up and looked down at her. It seemed that his hope of not having a bad time until he had to leave would have to wait. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again and sighed. He walked slowly back over to the window again, but just looked down at the ground.

"Maybe I should just go to my room," Wenny said quietly, after Carl had walked away from her. Part of her wanted to be alone, just to think everything through...but the other part wanted to run over to Carl and put her arms around him and never let go.

He nodded, not quite sure exactly what to say. Maybe what they both needed was to be alone for a little while. Although, he wished he could just make this all go away and could hold Wenny again. He kept his gaze to the ground as he ran his hand through his hair.

Wenny stood up and walked over to the door, then stopped. She didn't turn around to look at him, she just stood there facing the door for a moment. "Are you not even going to ask me to stay?," she asked quietly. He had told her he loved her, but if he loved her, why was it so easy for him to leave her and to watch her leave? Maybe, without them even realizing it, something had changed.

Carl turned around to look at her when he heard her question, and saw her facing the door. "I don't want you to leave, Wenny." He closed his eyes as he realized what he had said. He didn't want her to leave, just like she didn't want him to leave. "But if you need to be alone, than there's really nothing I can do about it, is there?" he said quietly as he opened his eyes and looked at her again.

"I don't _want_ to be alone, Carl," Wenny answered, a little stronger than normal, but not overly so. And she didn't. She didn't want to be alone now or in a few days or ever. But then she had a thought. Maybe _he_ did. Maybe that was at least part of why he was leaving and why he hadn't asked her to stay in the room. Maybe _he_ was the one who needed a break from _her._

Without another word, she left his room and went back to her own. 


	58. Bloody Knuckles

**Disclaimer** : All Harry Potter characters are the property of JKR. But all original characters (Wenny, Carl, Dray, Emma, Shane, Russo, etc.) are the property of FaithInSnape & her friend. lol 

**Confusion**

Written by: 'WennyG' (AKA 'FaithInSnape') & 'Carl'

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Bloody Knuckles**

Carl sighed heavily and stood there with his eyes closed for a few moments before opening them again, and then turning to the wall and kicking it. He wished that he had a better punching bag than the hard wood wall as he punched it this time.

Why did he have to hurt Wenny like that? He loved her more than anything, but for some reason he felt that the only way he could ever really feel up to anyone else's standards, was to do go on this quest to make up for his 'foolish' acts. He punched the wall again, feeling his knuckles starting to get a bit sore.

Wenny quietly shut the door to her room and leaned back against it, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. What was she supposed to do now? The thought of Carl leaving was a million times worse than even the thought of being back in that horrible room at the Death Eaters Headquarters without the possibility of escaping. How did he expect her to just accept this? Did he honestly not think she would fight to keep him from going? Would he have not fought to keep her from going had the situation been reversed?

Wenny hated the whole situation. She hated Carl telling her that he was leaving her. She hated not having any say in the matter. She hated not having anyone she could talk to about this. She hated being stuck in this musky, old house. She hated everything and everyone. Even Carl, to an extent, for not refusing to go on this 'quest.' She was tempted to scream, but instead, she cried.

Carl continued beating his fists against the wall for a long while. He was beginning to think that he needed to find a new outlet for his anger and confusion as he punched the wall once more. He winced slightly, and after losing count of how many times that he had punched the wall, he looked at his hands. His knuckles were slightly bloody, which made him just more angry enough to punch the wall again. He cursed this time and then leaned against the wall and slowly sank down to the ground, putting his head in his hands and closing his eyes.

He felt terrible. He knew that he was being selfish about this, and right now, all he wanted to do was hold Wenny. He knew that if things didn't get better by the time he left, he would feel even worse when the time came. But he hoped that one day, Wenny would be able to forgive him, although he didn't think it would be anytime soon. He looked up at the bed and sighed before standing up and laying on it. Maybe the time would go by faster if he was able to get some sleep, and maybe when he woke up, things would have calmed down slightly, although he wouldn't bet on it.

After a while of crying over the situation, Wenny realized that Carl hadn't come over to her room. She had even told him that she didn't want to be alone, yet here she was, _alone,_ and he hadn't even come to check that she was alright. Of course, this made her think that her earlier thoughts, that he needed a break from her, were correct...which didn't make her feel any better.

She thought about going downstairs and talking to Mrs. Weasley, or perhaps even Dumbledore, but she knew they'd be able to tell that she had been crying and she didn't want them to worry about her. So instead, she went over to the little desk on the other side of her room and searched around for some paper and something to write with. Maybe she could get her mind off of things by drawing for a bit.

Carl laid down on his back and looked at his knuckles. He felt like shouting as he flexed his fingers, feeling them burning a little. He rolled over on his side and looked at the wall. He asked himself why he wasn't with Wenny right now, but told himself that it was because maybe if she was alone for a little while, things would be easier, but he didn't expect that too much.

His mind drifted from how upset he had made Wenny, to what would happen when he was helping Harry, to back on the tower the previous night, to how angry he had allowed himself to get, to how Dumbledore was still alive, and then on and on. It seemed that he would never be able to get any sleep with all of this on his mind, but he slowly felt his eyelids getting heavy. He closed his eyes, but found himself just continuing to think.

After finding a few scrap pieces of parchment and an old quill, Wenny sat down against the wall and started trying to think of what to draw. No matter what she decided to draw, she knew it wasn't going to be very good. Her eyes were rather blurry from crying for the past however long and the materials she had found in the old desk were hardly artist quality. But, she would have to make do. After a few minutes, she decided on a subject and started to draw.

She wasn't even really paying much attention to what she was drawing, as her mind and heart were elsewhere. The anger that she had been feeling moments ago had subsided somewhat, but she was still hurt. How could he decide to leave her so easily? Was his need to 'make up' for everything he felt he had done wrong, really more important to him than being with her?

Wenny continued to draw for a while, still sorting out everything in her mind. She was starting to understand why he felt he needed to go, but that didn't make it any easier for her to let him. She wished she knew what she could say to make him change his mind, but she was sure he never would.

What if he didn't go? he thought as he turned around on his other side. Shouldn't he be more worried about Wenny? Maybe he should want to try to make up everything that he had done to Wenny, like putting her in danger last night. And with everything that she had been through, with her father and everything, she needed him, and he needed her. But then how else could he prove himself to the rest of the Order members, and however much Carl hated to admit that he even wanted this, to Snape.

Carl couldn't take it anymore. He'd never be able to fall asleep like this. He sat up in the bed and looked down at his knuckles, remembering how Wenny had healed his nose when Draco had punched him back at Hogwarts. He got an idea, ignoring how pathetic it was. He stood up and then walked back over to the wall and began punching it again, harder this time, ignoring the pain that was burning back in his knuckles.

After putting a few finishing touches on her drawing, Wenny looked at her drawing for a few moments. It most definitely wasn't her best work, but she hadn't expected it to be. But looking at the drawing somehow made her feel even worse, so she crumpled the parchment up in her hand and threw it across the room.

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, wondering what Carl was thinking when he agreed to go on this quest. Had he even thought of her at all and how much she needed him? Thinking about that made her want to scream again, so she looked down at the second piece of parchment. She could try drawing again, as it really had made her feel a little better while she was actually drawing. Or maybe she could write a letter. But who could she write to? One of her friends at school? She shrugged and started writing. Even if only to herself. It might be a release to get all of her thoughts out on parchment.

Carl winced as he hit the wall one last time hard. He looked at his knuckles, which were now caked with dry blood and gleaming with fresh blood, and sighed, feeling even more pathetic than before. He leaned against the wall and hit his head against it and sighed heavily again.

After a moment, Carl finally walked over to the door and opened it. He walked across the hall leaned his head against Wenny's door before softly knocking on the wood with a loose fist.

Wenny looked over towards the door when she heard what sounded like it could be a rather quiet knock. She looked back down at the 'letter' she had been writing and then sighed as she crumpled it up. After a moment, she stood and walked over to the door, but before opening it, she wiped her eyes a bit to hide the fact that she had been crying earlier.

Ever since she left Carl's room, Wenny had been wanting him to come over to hers, but now that he had, or at least she was pretty sure it was Carl on the other side of the door, she wasn't sure what to say to him. She took a slow, deep breath and then slowly opened the door.

Carl's plan had been to show Wenny his knuckles and ask her if she was in too bad of a mood or if she could help him and perform one of her healing spells since he had never been good at them. But as soon as he saw her, he felt more pathetic and he quickly put his hands in his pockets.

Shaking his hair out of his eyes, he looked at her and sighed. Now that he was here and his plan had backfired, he didn't know what to say. He probably looked, as Professor Snape would like to call him, a fool. "Look, Wenny. I love you, and I hate the fact that I'm the reason you're so upset," he said quietly.

Wenny watched him for a minute and then slowly shook her head. "If you want to leave, Carl, then I should just deal with it and stop trying to make you change your mind," she said quietly. Of course, she still wanted him to change his mind, but she knew that leaving really was up to him and that he was going to go if he wanted, whether she liked it or not. As much as it hurt for her to accept that.

She opened the door a little wider and stepped aside for him to come in if he wanted, which she hoped he did.

Carl looked at her for a few moments before walking inside the room and then turned around and watched her for a little while. He kept his hands in his pockets and shook his hair out of his eyes a little. "Wenny, I really am sorry that I feel like I have to do this. But that doesn't mean I don't love you," he told her.

She looked away from him and nodded slightly. "Just...tell me something," she began. She wasn't sure how he would take her question, but she needed to ask it, so that it would stop bothering her. "You're not doing this, at least partly, because you want or need to be away from me, are you?"

Hearing the question outloud, it sounded a bit stupid, even to her. But because of all the thoughts running through her mind, she needed to hear that she hadn't done anything to make him want to leave her. She just hoped that was the answer he gave her.

"Wenny," Carl said, walking over to her and taking his hands out of his pockets and putting them on her neck. "Of course not," he said, shaking his head. It hurt a little to hear that she had even thought of that. "I love you, and I always want to be with you," he said quietly, looking deep into her eyes. "I love you so much, and I promise you that leaving is going to be just as hard for me as it is for you." He looked at his hands and then quickly stuck them back in his pockets, but smiled at her.

Wenny wanted to tell Carl not to leave then, to just stay here with her, but she knew it would do no good. She put her arms around him and began crying into his shoulder. She had made it through the initial shock of him deciding to leave, and through the anger that he wouldn't change his mind, and had now finally gotten to where she could actually deal with the fact that he was going to leave. Though, this stage would include lots of tears. And she was sure that the tears wouldn't end anytime soon, even after he had actually left.

He sighed and took his hands out of his pockets again and put his arms around her. He hated to see her like this, but what he hated even more was knowing that he was the reason for it. He held her and let her cry into his shoulder, feeling like he was about to cry himself.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, I just _really_ don't want you to go," she said quietly. Perhaps she had reacted rather childishly, but really, who could blame her? She had already lost her father, though not to death, and now Carl was leaving. Of course, she hadn't been close to her father for years, but it was still rather hurtful to have your own father threaten to kill you. Especially if you're just a young girl.

"Don't apologize, Wenny," Carl said quietly. "You were right. I really should have talked to you first before agreeing to it. And I wouldn't be leaving if I didn't think it would help things, even for us," he told her as he continued to hold her, now quite not sure if he would be able to leave now, but knowing he would have to.

Wenny nodded slightly, in understanding, against his shoulder. But even though she understood why he felt he needed to go, she still didn't want him to leave her behind. "Can't I go with you?," she asked, looking up at him.

Carl looked down at her with a sad smile. "Wenny, even if the Order allowed you to, I wouldn't let you. It's too dangerous," he told her, looking down at her with his arms still around her.

"Well, what if I don't care whether or not you let me?," she asked. She knew it was useless, but she had to try anyway. She sighed as she closed her eyes again. She didn't ever want to let go of him.

He sighed and closed his eyes as he put his hand on the back of her head and brought it to his chest and then rested his head against hers. "Wenny, if it wasn't so dangerous, than I wouldn't let you leave my side," he said quietly.

Wenny nodded just slightly. She understood, though she didn't completely agree. After all, she wasn't completely helpless. Sure, she wasn't the best dueler, but if they ran into trouble she could apparate them out of it. Usually.

She held on to him for a bit longer, then glanced up at him again. "So what do we do until...then?," she asked. She didn't want to think about him leaving anymore.

Carl opened his eyes again and looked down at her. "Anything you want," he told her quietly. He knew that whatever it was, it wasn't going to take their minds off of him leaving, but it was worth a try.

"Hmmm...how about we sleep then?," she asked with a slight grin. She still wasn't happy about him leaving, but she was trying to at least lighten the mood a little. If they only had a couple of more days together, they should try to make the most of them. Though, she knew the thought of him leaving was always going to be in the back of her mind.

"You know what? That sounds like a great idea," he said with a grin as he turned around and then started to walk towards her bed. "You don't mind if I sleep in here do you?" he asked her as he sat down on the bed and then laid down, grinning at her as he put his hands behind his head.

Wenny let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, fine...I'll just go sleep in your room then," she said, walking over towards the door. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder at him, laughing slightly.

"I don't think so," he said with a grin, standing back up again and walking over to her. He bent down and picked her up and then started walking back over to her bed. He laid her down on the bed and then started to tickle her a little as he laid down next to her.

Wenny laughed as Carl picked her up and then laughed again once he started tickling her. "I don't believe I gave you permission to do that," she said between laughs. She reached down to grab his hands to stop him from tickling her, and saw his bloody knuckles, "Carl!?"

Carl closed his eyes and sighed as he sat there on the bed, putting his hands in his lap. "It's nothing," he said quietly. It was the truth. If he was angry enough to have done it, than he would have to live with it. But he knew that Wenny wouldn't think it was nothing. He had done it because he was choosing to leave rather than stay with Wenny. He didn't like his own decision, but he felt that if he was ever going to feel good about himself again, it was something he had to do.

Wenny looked down at Carl's hands and then up at him. "Did you do that?," she asked quietly. She knew he had to have. How else could his hands have gotten in such a way? They hadn't been outside of the house. She looked at him closely, "why did you do that, Carl?" She wasn't asking to make him feel bad, she genuinely wanted to know. The entire time she had been reacting to the news that he was leaving, he had acted as if it were nothing. She couldn't help but think that, in some way, she would feel a bit better knowing that his leaving really was difficult for him, too.

He looked back up at her and shrugged. "I don't know," he said quietly. Of course he knew, he just had to find the words to tell her. He sighed. "I guess I did it because the last thing I ever want to do is leave you, but I wish I didn't feel so obligated to do this," he said, looking back down at the ground again. "I don't _want_ to do this, Wenny. I _need_ to do this," he said, looking back up at her. He would stay in a heartbeat or even take her with him if he knew it wouldn't be so dangerous.

When she heard his answer, she reached over and put her arms around him and just held him as tightly as she could. She wished there was something she could do or say to talk him out of going on this 'quest.' Especially now that he had admitted that he didn't want to go. But she understood why he felt he had to. Even though, she disagreed. As far as she was concerned, he didn't have to proof himself to anyone.

Carl smiled slightly when Wenny put her arms around him, having expected her to get upset again, but he was glad she didn't. He put his arms around her and then put his hand on the back of her head. He kissed the side of her head and then put his cheek to hers. He wondered if Wenny had actually thought that he had really wanted to leave. "I love you so much, Wenny," he said quietly.

Wenny nodded slightly. She knew he loved her, but that was why it was so hard to let him leave. She felt like, no...she _knew_ he was the only person in the entire world who loved her. If something were to happen to him while he was away from her, her entire reason to live would be gone. She was almost at the point that, if she knew it would keep Carl from leaving her, she would give her soul to Voldemort. Or at least she would if she hadn't known that Carl would've hated her for it.

But not wanting to get all depressed and upset again, she pulled away from the embrace and gave him a small smile.

Carl returned the small smile, letting it turn into a bit of a wider grin. "Now where were we?" he said, wondering if they could just go back to having fun so quickly. He started tickling her sides again.

She laughed lightly as Carl started tickling her again, "Carl!" She starting trying to grab at his hands, but she was very conscious of trying to not grab them too roughly. She didn't want to possibly hurt his already injured hands. "Remember our little deal. I get to pinch your cheeks," she said between laughs.

"You wouldn't dare," he said as he continued to tickle her and then pushed her gently back on the bed. He stopped tickling her and looked into her eyes for a moment before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and then softly kissing her.

Wenny smiled against Carl's lips before returning his kiss. After a moment, she pushed away a little. "Yes, I would, too," she said, a grin slowly appearing. She reached up and put a hand on his cheek and laughed.

Carl glanced at her hand on his cheek and then back at her. "You would not," he said, putting his hands on her sides. After a moment, he rolled over on the bed and put his hand on her neck. "I might run out of the unlimited kisses that I have to give you," he said with a grin as he kissed her lips again and then kissed her neck.

Wenny laughed as she copied Carl's earlier comment, "you wouldn't dare." Since his earlier kisses hadn't had the effect that they both wished they would've had, she was determined not to let their situation ruin them again. She closed her eyes and bit her lip lightly as she reached over and gently placed her hand on the back of his neck. How was she supposed to go on if she no longer had him with her and never felt his kisses again? She immediately shoved that thought from her mind, as she wanted to focus only on _right now,_ and not what might happen in the future.

He laughed a little. "Yes, I would too," he said, copying her now. Of course, he actually wouldn't. He continued to kiss her neck, yet his mind never strayed too far from the fact that he would be leaving. He knew that it would always be on his mind until he actually did leave, but he still hated it. And he actually hoped that he wouldn't be too distracted with thinking about Wenny that he would screw up everything with helping Harry, although it would take alot of concentration on his part.

When Wenny heard Carl copy her, she giggled a little. She continued to let herself get lost in his kisses for a few minutes, then pulled away just slightly. She placed her hands on the sides of his face, but not in an attempt to tease him into thinking she was going to pinch his cheeks, but simply so she could look directly into his eyes. "I. Love. You," she said, accenting each word. She hadn't said it the last time he had said it to her, but not because she didn't love him, but rather because she had been trying to get her mind around the fact that she was going to have to accept that he would be leaving. But she wanted him to know that she did love him. More than he could possibly imagine.

He smiled wide when he heard her and he put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her deeply for a few moments before kissing her just softly. "I. Love. You. Too," he said against her lips, just as she had. "So. Much," he said before deepening the kiss again.

Hearing Carl, Wenny couldn't help but grin as they continued the kiss. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair as she let her kisses wander from his lips, to his cheek, to his jaw, and eventually to his neck.

Carl closed his eyes and let out a quiet noise. Maybe it was because he had been so stressed lately, but her kisses felt so good. He put his hands on the back of her neck. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to be doing that," he said quietly, although he hoped she wouldn't stop.

Wenny laughed lightly against his neck at his comment, "you already did. Don't be so stingy." She grinned as she continued her kisses on his neck for a bit longer, then slowly made her way back up to his lips. After kissing him rather passionately for a short while, she put her cheek to his and just held him. She really did not want to _ever_ let him go.

Carl grinned and continued to keep his eyes closed and then returned the kiss when she kissed his lips again. He opened his eyes only a moment when she stopped the kiss and then closed them again when he felt her cheek against his. He just sat there, never wanting to move, and imagining that they never had to. 


End file.
